IRLF 


ZS*W^s^s**s>*^^ 

tirrrrrrr? 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF. CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


THE   LIFE 


CAPTAIN    JOHN    SMITH, 


THE 


FOUNDER  OP  VIRGINIA. 


BY  W.   GILMORE   SIMMS, 
u 

AUTHOR   OF    "  LIFE    OF   MARION,"   "  HISTORY   OF   SOUTH  CAROLINA,'    BIO. 


SEVENTH     EDITION. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

JOHN    E.     POTTER    &     CO., 

Nos.   614    A    617    SA^SOM    STREET. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  18H7,  by 

JOHN     E.     POTTER     &     CO., 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  tho  United  States,  in  and  for  the 
Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

THE  woiks  consulted  in  the  preparation  of  this  volume 
are  "  The  true  Travels,  Adventures  and  Observations 
of  Captain  John  Smith  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africke  and 
America,"  Stith,  Beverley,  Burke,  Purchas,  Gra- 
hame,  Bancroft,  Collections  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society,  and  the  neat  and  well -written  Life 
of  Smith,  by  Mr.  Milliard,  contained  in  the  Library 
of  American  Biography.  As  much  of  Smith's  own 
language  as  could  be  employed  has  been  made  use  of 
without  scruple,  and  with  little  alteration.  It  has  been  a 
favorite  part  of  the  plan  of  the  present  volume  to  make 
the  account  of  the  Discovery,  Settlement  and  Progress 
of  Virginia  as  copious  as  possible,  consistently  with 
the  claims  of  the  biography. 


M311459 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS 


BOOK   L— CHAPTER   I. 

SMITH,  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England — good  family — 
left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age — education  neglected  by  his 
guardians — apprenticed  to  a  merchant  of  Lynn — leaves  him 
and  goes  to  France — serves  in  the  Low  Countries  as  a  sol 
dier—embarks  for  Scotland — is  wrecked  and  narrowly 
saved  from  drowning — falls  sick,  and  becomes  a  hermit  in 
Lincolnshire.  .........  Q 

CHAPTER   IL 

Revisits  the  Low  Countries — robbed  by  certain  French  gal 
lants — duel  with  one  of  them,  whom  he  wounds — received 
with  kindness  by  the  Earl  of  Ployer — takes  ship  for  Italy — 
is  thrown  overboard  by  the  Catholics  in  a  storm — saved  on 
St  Mary's  Isle — is  taken  off  by  a  French  vessel,  and  sails 
for  Egypt— fight  at  sea  between  the  French  and  a  Venetian 
— Smith  travels  over  Italy — goes  to  Austria,  and  joins  the 
Imperial  army.  •-.-....•99 

CHAPTER   III. 

Smith  attracts  the  notice  of  the  Imperial  officers — siege  of 
Olympach — he  devises  a  scheme  for  the  relief  of  the  place— 
his  telegraphic  communication  with  the  besieged  by  means  of 
torches — it  succeeds— battle  with  the  Turks — relief  of  Olym 
pach — Smith  is  rewarded  by  a  command  of  horse  in  the 
regiment  of  Meldritch. 33 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Siege  of  Alba  Regalia— "  Fiery  Dragons"  of  Smith— their 
effect — the  city  taken  by  storm — Turks  approach  for  relief 


TABLE      OF      CONTENTS 

— battle  on  the  plains  of  Girke — Smith  wounded — his  horse 
killed — second  battle — Turks  routed — Smith  goes  with   the 


CHAi'l'LK.     V. 

Siege  of  the  Turkish  city  of  Regall — the  Christian  knights 
challenged  by  Lori  Turbishaw — lots  cast,  and  Smith  is 
chosen  to  encounter  the  Turkish  champion — kills  him  in 
sight  of  both  armies,  and  carries  off  the  head  of  Turbishaw, 
with  his  armor. 47 

CHAPTER    VI. 

Smith  is  challenged  by  Lord  Grualgo,  the  comrade  of  Tur 
bishaw— accepts  the  challenge— they  meet  as  before  in  the 
sight  of  both  armies — Smith  is  wounded  by  a  pistol  shot, 
but  carries  off  the  head  and  armor  of  Grualgo — in  turn  he 
sends  a  challenge  to  the  knights  in  Regall — challenge  ac 
cepted  by  Bonny  Mulgro— Smith  is  nearly  defeated  in  the 
combat,  but  slays  the  Turkish  champion.  53 

CHAPTER    VII. 

Smith  honored  with  a  triumph — ennobled  by  Sigismund,  Prince 
of  Transylvania — siege  of  Regall  continued — Regall  storm 
ed — massacre — the  army  penetrates  Wallachia — battle  with 
Jeremias — Smith's  description  of  the  battle.  68 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

War  with  the  Turks  continued — Christian  army  retreats- 
beleaguered  by  their  enemies — Smith's  invention  of  fire 
works — their  success — approach  of  the  Tartar  army — battle 
in  the  valley  of  Veristhorn — defeat  of  the  Christians — Smith 
wounded,  and  left  for  dead  among  the  slain — a  captive,  and 
sold  to  the  Bashaw  Bogall. ff, 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Smith  sent  to  Constantinople,  a  present  to  a  Turkish  damsel — 
wins  her  affections — sent  by  her  for  safety  to  her  brother,  Ti- 
mour  Bashaw — is  brutally  treated  by  him — beats  out  the 
Bashaw's  brains,  and  escapes  to  M'.scovy.  74 


TABLE      OF      CONTENTS.  Ill 

CHAPTER    X. 

Smith  reaches  Ecopolis — is  kindly  treated  by  the  Lady  Cala- 
mata— returns  to  Transylvania— warmly  received  by  Mel- 
dritch  and  Prince  Sigismund — goes  with  a  French  captain 
to  Morocco — accompanies  him  in  a  cruise  to  the  Canaries 
— sea-fight  with  two  Spanish  vessels,  and  escape  of  the 
Frenchman.  ..-.....-83 


BOOK    II.— CHAPTER   I. 

Smith  again  in  England — colonial  settlement  and  mercantile 
adventure — he  is  greatly  interested  in  the  subject — English 
discovery  in  the  New  World — Smith  joius  with  others  seek 
ing  to  colonize.  --------  -93 

CHAPTER   IL 

Squadron  of  three  small  vessels  sail  from  Blackwall,  in  De 
cember,  1606 — voyage  inauspicious — strife  among  the  ad 
venturers — Smith  taken  into  custody  by  his  comrades — they 
reach  the  Chesapeake — is  allowed  his  freedom — James  river 
— the  site  chosen  for  a  settlement. 104 

CHAPTER    III. 

Smith's  energy  and  industry— not  suffered  a  seat  in  council — 
he  visits  Powhatan — colonists  surprised  by  the  Indians— 
their  terror  at  the  English  firearms — the  council  propose  to 
send  Smith  to  England — he  resists  them — insists  upon  his 
trial— is  acquitted — obtains  damages  for  his  injuries,  and  is 
admitted  to  the  council. 112 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Distresses  of  the  colony— evils  of  the  management— incompe- 
tency  of  the  President — Smith  placed  at  the  head  of  affairs 
— his  courage  and  conduct— improvement  in  condition  of 
the  colonists — Smith's  encounter  and  success  with  the  sa 
vages — conspiracy  against  him  among  the  whites — defeats 
it — punishes  the  conspirators — explores  the  country — is 
taken  by  the  Indians. 120 

CHAPTER    V. 
Smith   carried  in  triumph  through  the  settlements  of  the  sa- 


IV  TABLE      OFCONTENT8. 

vages— nearly  slain  by  an  Indian  father,  wAose  son  had 
been  killed  in  an  affair  with  the  whites — fears  of  being  eaten 
— is  conducted  to  the  hamlet  of  Powhatan.  ...  135 

CHAPTER   VI. 

The  power  of  the  Indian  emperor — Smith  received  oy  him  in 
state — is  treated  with  courtesy — his  fate  discussed— he  is 
doomed  to  die — his  head  is  on  the  block,  and  the  executioner 
about  to  strike,  when  the  victim  is  saved  by  the  interposition 
of  Pocahontas,  the  child  of  Powhatan.  -  -  -  -  143 

CHAPTER   VII. 

Smith  is  taken  into  favor — his  judicious  policy  with  the  In 
dians — his  doubts  and  distresses — conferences  with  Powha 
tan— treaty — is  sent  back  to  Jamestown,  and  reaches  the  co 
lony  in  safety — new  conspiracy  of  the  English  to  abandon 
the  settlement — quelled  by  Smith — they  seek  to  punish  him 
for  the  death  of  two  soldiers,  slain  by  the  savages,  when  he 
was  taken  prisoner — he  lays  his  enemies  by  the  heels.  -  158 


BOOK    III.— CHAPTER   I. 

Smith's  description  of  the  Indians — his  management  of  them— 
his  power  over  them — Newport  persuaded  to  visit  Powhatan 
— his  fears — Smith's  example — the  interview  with  and  de 
scription  of  the  Indian  emperor — exchange  of  hostages  and 
courtesies — trade 169 

CHAPTER    II. 

Mutual  policy  of  the  red  and  white  men — equal  sagacity  of 
Smith  and  Powhatan — cold  winter — destruction  of  James 
town  by  fire — blunders  of  the  proprietors,  and  ridiculous 
search  for  gold. 175 

CHAPTER   III. 

Preparations  for  invading  the  Monacans — bad  practices  of  the 
sailors  and  the  colonists — insolence  of  the  Indians — their 
thefts — Smith  drives  them  before  him — the  effects  of  his  re 
solution  upon  them — conspiracy  against  the  colony — Poca- 
hontas  sent  to  Jamestown  with  apologies  from  Powhatan,  to 
whom  Smith  gives  up  his  Indian  captives.  ...  iQ3 


TABLE      OF      CONTENTS.  V 

CHAPTER   IV. 

Radcliffe  President— his  weakness  and  excesses— is  restrained 
by  Smith — energy  of  Smith — he  explores  the  Chesapeake  in 
an  open  boat — thunderstorm  and  narrow  escape — ambuscade 
of  the  savages — Massawomeks — discovery  of  Potomac — 
Smith  wounded  severely  by  a  stingray.  191 

CHAPTER    V. 

Return  to  Jamestown — follies  of  the  President — Smith  re-em 
barks  on  a  new  voyage — makes  discoveries  of  other  tribes 
and  ruins — the  Susquehannocks,  a  gigantic  people— conflicts 
and  treaties  with  the  Indians — peril  from  tempests.  -  -  205 

CHAPTER    VI. 

Re-building  Jamestown — arrival  from  England— idle  projects 
of  the  adventurers— visit  to  Powhatan  by  the  English — 
sports  of  Indian  damsels — pride  of  Powhatan — ludicrous 
scene  at  his  coronation  -----..  926 

CHAPTER   VII. 

Newport's  abortive  adventure  in  the  country  of  the  Mona- 
cans — Smith  sets  the  colonists  to  work — his  punishments  for 
swearing — hostility  of  the  Indians — distress  of  the  colony— 
his  remedies— his  letter  to  the  treasurer  and  council  of  the 
plantation.  ---.--...  23t 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

The  exigencies  of  the  colony— Smith  goes  among  the  Indians 
for  provisions — camp  in  the  snow — difficulties  with  the  In 
dians — Powhatan  hostile— Smith  resolves  to  seize  his  per 
son—  vigilance  of  Powhatan — his  cunning  and  ill  feeling, 
treachery  and  excellent  speech — attempts  of  the  savages- 
Smith's  courage  and  conduct— defeats  their  plans — Poca- 
hontas  comes  to  Smith  by  night  to  warn  him  against  the 
messengers  sent  bv  her  father — the  supper.  ...  35; 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Treachery  among  the  whites — Smith  at  Pamaunkee,  the  seat 
of  Opechancanough— hostile  designs  of  the  latter — Smith 
environed  by  the  savages — seizes  Opechancanough  in  per- 


VI  TABLE     OF     CONTENTS. 

son,  and  extricates  himself  and  friends — second  attempt  of 

the  Indian  chief,  and  defeat — disaster  at  Jamestown.   -        -      271 

CHAPTER  X. 

Smith  renews  his  attempts  to  take  Powhatan  and  is  again 
baffled — returns  to  Jamestown — confusion  there — his  laws 
— attempt  upon  his  life  and  the  colony  by  the  savages,  with 
the  help  of  certain  traitorous  Dutchmen — Smith  assailed  by 
the  King  of  Paspahegh,  a  giant — overthrows  him  in  single 
combat,  and  carries  him  prisoner  to  Jamestown — His  skill 
in  surgery — Indian  ingenuity.  ------  284 

CHAPTER  XL 

Improvements  at  Jamestown — Smith  supreme — Powhatan's 
liberality — Smith's  treatment  of  mutineers — his  power 
among  the  savages— the  Dutchmen— tLnr  fate — return  of 

exploring  parties. -      297 

CHAPTER    XII. 

Smith's  enemies — a  new  charter  for  the  colony — new  officers 
from  Europe — their  follies — Smith  superseded — the  distresses 
and  disturbances  of  the  settlement — Smith's  scorn  and  in 
difference — his  resumption  of  authority — his  energy,  decision 
and  judgment — combat  of  the  settlers  at  the  Falls  with  the 
savages — Smith  rescues  the  former — resettles  them,  and 
they  abandon  the  settlement.  --.---  306 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

Smith  blown  up  with  gunpowder— nearly  drowned— conspi 
racy,  and  attempt  upon  his  life— his  sufferings — resigns  the 
government  to  Percy,  and  returns  to  England— his  services 
in  the  colony. 317 


BOOK  IV.— CHAPTER  I. 

Smith  in  England — his  studies — writings — associates  and  eulo 
gists — "  The  Sea  Marke,"  a  poem — the  Virginia  colony — 
Pocahontas — her  captivity — marriage  with  John  Rolfe,  and 
admission  into  the  Church  of  Christ.  -  32(1 

CHAPTER   II. 

Smith's  cravings  for  adventure — Plymouth  Company — Dis- 


TABLE     OF     CON  TENTS.  VII 

covery  in  New  England — Smith's  first  voyage  for  furs  and 
lish — his  narrative  and  map  of  the  country — receives  the 
honorary  distinction  of  Admiral  of  New  England — difficul 
ties  between  the  London  and  Plymouth  companies — Smith's 
second  voyage  to  New  England — misfortunes — encounters 
with  pirates — is  taken  prisoner  by  the  French — escapes  in 
one  of  their  boats  during  a  storm.  -  331 

CHAPTER  III. 

Smith  at  Rochelle  in  France — assisted  by  Madame  Chanoys 
— returns  to  England — his  publications,  fame,  disappoint 
ments  and  noble  firmness — vainly  labors  to  proceed  with  a 
new  armament  to  New  England. 348 

CHAPTER  IV. 

/irginia — attempts  of  the  English  to  take  from  Powhatan  a 
second  daughter — Pocahontas — her  character — is  carried  to 
England  by  Sir  Thomas  Dale — her  interview  with  Smith — 
his  letter  to  dueen  Anne— Uttomakkin,  the  emissary  of 
Powhatan — Death  of  Pocahontas — her  descendants.  -  -  355 

CHAPTER  V. 

^owhatan — his  death — Opechancanough,  his  power  and  policy 
— massacre  of  the  English — Smith's  scheme  for  subduing 
the  Indians — his  opinions  of  the  state  of  the  colony — his  fail 
ures  and  writings — neglect,  and  death  in  1631 — Opechanca 
nough — his  captivity — dignity — assassination  by  an  English 
soldier  while  in  custody  of  Sir  William  Berkeley.  -  -  367 

APPENDIX. 

Smith's  Patent  of  Nobility     -        -        -        -       .        .        -      J»T7 


THE    LIFE 


OF 


CAPTAIN    JOHN    SMITH. 


BOOK    I.— CHAPTER    I. 

IN  tne  long  roll  or  catalogue  which  the  world  may  exhi 
bit  of  the  great  or  remarkable  men  who  have  distinguish 
ed  its  several  epochs  and  conditions,  none  have  ever  so 
completely  ravished  the  regards  of  contemporaries  as 
those  who  have  been  equally  marked  by  the  great  and 
spontaneous  readiness  of  their  thoughts,  and  the  resolute 
activity  and  eagerness  with  which  they  advance  to  the 
performance  of  their  actions.  In  such  persons,  under  pe 
culiar  laws  of  temperament,  the  blood  and  the  brain  work 
together  in  the  most  exquisite  unanimity.  There  is  no 
reluctance  of  the  subordinate  to  follow  the  commands  of 
the  superior ;  no  failure  in  the  agent  properly  to  conceive, 
and  adequately  to  carry  out,  the  designs  and  desires  of  the 
principal.  The  soul  responds  generously  to  the  dictates  of 
the  mind,  and  no  tardy  ratiocination,  slowly  halting  in  the 
rear  of  the  will,  finally  supervenes  to  reprove  the  deed 
when  it  is  too  late  for  its  repair,  and  compel  a  vain  regret 
for  the  hasty  and  unconsidered  action.  But,  on  the  con 
trary,  the  impulses  of  the  blood,  and  the  counsels  of  the 


1  0  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

brain,  as  if  twinned  together,  harmoniously  prompt  am, 
perform  those  admirable  achievements,  which  ordinary 
men  regard  as  the  fruits  of  a  sudden  instinct,  or  a  happy 
inspiration.  Tried  by  calm  reflection,  the  process  chosen, 
the  labor  done,  seem  to  have  met  the  necessity  precisely, 
as  if  the  most  deliberate  wisdom  had  sat  in  judgment  upon 
the  event ;  and  yet  the  performance  will  have  been  as 
prompt  as  the  exigency  which  provoked  it.  With  persons 
thus  fortunately  constituted,  deliberation  is  rather  an  ob 
stacle  than  a  help  to  right  performance.  They  seem  to 
conceive  and  to  think  more  justly  while  in  action  than  in 
repose.  It  is  the  necessity  which  provokes  the  thought 
It  is  the  sudden  call  upon  their  genius  that  shows  them  to 
be  possessed  of  the  endowment.  Such  are  the  men  who 
commonly  appear  to  shape  and  regulate  the  transition  pe 
riods  in  society  ;  to  time  and  to  direct  its  enterprises  ;  to  in 
fuse  its  spirit  with  eagerness  and  enthusiasm,  and  to  meet, 
with  the  happiest  resources  and  the  most  unfailing  intre 
pidity,  the  frequent  exigencies  which  hang  about  the  foot 
steps  of  adventure. 

Of  this  class  of  persons,  living  in  modern  periods,  and 
by  reason  of  merits  such  as  these  commended  to  our  at 
tention,  the  name  and  fortunes  of  him  who  is  the  subject 
of  these  pages  possess  a  more  than  common  interest  for 
the  American.  Capt.  John  Smith,  the  real  founder  of 
Virginia,  is  one  of  the  proverbial  heroes  of  British  settle 
ment  in  this  western  hemisphere.  His  career  will  happily 
illustrate  the  peculiar  sort  of  character  upon  which  we 
have  thought  proper  briefly  to  expatiate.  His  story  is 
one  of  those  real  romances  which  mock  the  incidents  of 
ordinary  fiction.  This  we  are  to  gather  chiefly  from  his 
owrn  narratives,  and  partly  from  his  contemporaries,  by 
whom  his  deeds  are  amply  confirmed  and  put  beyond  dis 
pute.  Of  his  adventures,  which  lift  into  heroic  dignity  a 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  1  ] 

name  so  little  significant  in  itself  as  to  be  commonly  a  sub 
ject  for  the  vulgar  jest,  it  is  enough  to  say,  that  they  serve 
to  denote  the  more  noble  and  daring  events  of  a  period, 
distinguished  by  its  spirit,  its  courage  and  its  passion,  for 
vigorous  and  stirring  performance.  It  is  as  one  of  the 
master  spirits  of  this  period  and  of  modern  times,  that  the 
subject  of  our  biography  challenges  the  consideration  of 
our  people. 

JOHN  SMITH  was  born  at  Willoughby,  in  the  county  of 
Lincolnshire,  England,  some  time  in  the  year  1579.  He 
was  descended  from  an  ancient  Lancashire  family.  His 
father  came  from  the  ancient  stock  of  the  Smiths  of  Crud- 
ley  in  that  shire ;  his  mother  from  the  Rickards,  at  Great 
Heck,  Yorkshire.  He  received  his  education,  such  as  it 
was,  at  the  free  schools  of  Louth  and  Alford.  It  was, 
probably,  his  own  fault  that  his  schooling  was  not  better. 
He  was  not  of  a  temper  to  be  restrained  by  schools  and 
tutors.  The  eager  activity  of  his  mind  and  blood  betrayed 
itself  at  a  very  early  period.  He  makes  the  first  exhibi 
tion  of  this  activity  while  at  school,  and  at  the  early  age 
of  thirteen.  "  Set,"  even  then,  according  to  his  own 
showing,  uupori  brave  adventures,"  he  sold  his  books  and 
satchel,  and  was  preparing  secretly  to  steal  away  to  sea, 
when  he  was  arrested  by  the  death  of  his  father.  His 
mother,  of  whom  he  does  not  speak,  seems  to  have  died 
previously.  His  wandering  purpose,  arrested  by  this 
event,  was  checked  for  the  moment  only.  His  father  left 
him  some  little  property,  which,  with  himself,  was  com 
mitted  to  the  charge  of  certain  guardians,  who  proved 
quite  unfaithful  to  their  trust.  They  were  not  disposed  to 
waste  his  substance  upon  him,  and  with  shameful  cupidity 
winked  at  that  tendency  to  vagabondism  which  his  early 
impatience  of  restraint  seemed  to  promise.  Fortune  thus, 
in  lessening  his  domestic  ties  and  sympathies,  seemed  to 


12  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN       SMITH. 

encourage  his  wandering  inclinations.  His  guardians  al 
lowed  him  much  liberty,  if  they  gave  him  little  money. 
Of  the  former  he  soon  had  enough  to  enable  him  to  get 
beyond  the  sea  ;  but  his  means  were  too  slender  to  justify 
his  flight.  A  little  more  liberality,  at  tliis  early  period, 
might  have  relieved  them  of  all  farther  annoyance  at  his 
hands.  Compelled  to  provide  for  him  at  home,  they  placed 
him,  as  an  apprentice,  with  a  merchant  of  Lynn,  named 
Sendall — "  the  greatest  merchant,"  according  to  Smith, "  of 
all  those  parts."  But  Smith  longed  for  the  sea,  and  Sen 
dall  had  other  uses  for  him  on  shore.  His  apprentice  had 
no  taste  for  these  uses,  and  though  his  guardians  might 
bind  with  all  the  fetters  of  the  law,  he  was  not  the  lad  to 
reverence  such  a  bondage.  The  spirit,  that  already 
dreamed  of  doings  with  the  sword,  was  not  to  be  subdued 
by  indentured  parchment.  He  soon  leaped  his  counter, 
and  never  saw  his  master  again  until  the  lapse  of  eight 
years  rendered  it  equally  unlikely  that  the  latter  would  re 
cognize  or  reclaim  his  fugitive.  He  thus  made  himself  a 
freeman  with  but  ten  shillings  in  his  pocket.  This  ten 
shillings  was  the  liberal  allowance  of  his  guardians,  "  out 
of  his  own  money,"  given  him,  as  he  tells  us,  "  to  get  rid 
of  him."  His  flight  from  the  merchant  does  not  appear 
to  have  been  withheld  from  their  knowledge.  In  all  pro 
bability  he  fled  to  them  from  Sendall,  in  order  to  procure 
the  means  of  getting  to  sea  or  passing  into  foreign  coun 
tries.  These  were  his  favorite  ideas.  They  constituted 
his  passions,  and,  as  the  nearest  step  to  their  gratification, 
he  found  means  to  enter  the  service  of  the  sons  of  the 
famous  Lord  Willoughby,*  then  under  tutelage,  and  about 
to  make  the  tour  of  the  continent.  We  are  not  told  in 


*  "The  Right  Honorable   Peregrine,  that  generous  Lord  Wil 
loughby,  and  famous  soldier." — Smith's  Narrative. 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH,  13 

what  capacity  he  attended  these  young  gentlemen — most 
probably  as  a  page,  scarcely  as  a  companion.  He  was  not 
long  in  this  situation.  Within  a  month  or  six  weeks  after 
entering  France,  "  his  service  being  needless,"  as  he  him 
self  te'ls  us,  he  was  dismissed  with  a  liberal  allowance  of 
money  to  take  him  back  to  his  friends.  But  such  friends 
as  our  apprentice  had  left  behind  him  in  London  possess 
ed  very  few  attractions.  Their  bonds  were  not  so  very 
grateful  as  to  move  him  voluntarily  to  resume  them.  He 
had  as  yet  seen  but  little  of  the  world.  He  had  but  par 
tially  gratified  the  strong  curiosity  which  had  carried  him 
abroad.  He  remembered  the  ten  shillings  bounty  of  his 
guardians,  and  the  object  for  which  it  had  been  given,  and 
he  concluded  to  linger  a  while  longer  in  France.  He 
made  his  way  to  Paris — a  boy  of  fifteen,  without  friends  or 
companions — how,  he  does  not  tell  us,  but  under  what  dif 
ficulties,  doubts  and  dangers,  at  that  early  period  in  his  own 
life,  and  that  unsettled  period  in  the  history  of  the  country, 
through  which  he  went !  This  very  progress  illustrates, 
in  some  degree,  the  courage  and  daring  of  his  mind.  At 
Paris,  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  Scottish  gentleman, 
named  Hume,  in  whose  eyes  he  soon  found  favor.  Hume 
replenished  his  purse,  and  becoming  interested  in  his  grace, 
spirit  and  intelligence,  furnished  him  with  letters  of  intro 
duction,  couched  in  terms  of  liberal  commendation,  to  his 
friends  in  Scotland.  The  idea,  which  possessed  the  mind 
of  this  gentleman  in  behalf  of  his  youthful  protege,  suffi 
ciently  proves  the  great  hopes  which  he  had  formed  of  his 
endowments,  even  at  that  early  period.  The  object  of 
his  advice  and  letters  was  to  make  of  him  a  courtier,  to 
procure  for  him  access  to  the  person,  and,  if  possible,  em 
ployment  in  the  service  of  King  James,  the  well-known 
Scottish  Solomon.  What  was  the  influence  of  Hume  and 
his  friends  at  court,  it  would  not  now  be  easy  to  discover. 
2 


14  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

Looking  to  the  sequel  in  the  career  of  Smith,  it  woulp 
prove  his  patron  to  have  been  a  man  of  discernment  and 
sagacity.  The  design  certainly  proves  that  Hume  beheld 
in  the  boy  some  foreshowings  of  the  future  man.  We  are 
prepared  to  see  already  that  he  was  no  ordinary  boy — we 
see  that  he  at  least  possessed  some  of  those  outward  ac 
complishments  which  compel  the  regards  of  older  heads. 
These  accomplishments,  whatever  they  may  have  been, 
were  all  certainly  of  his  own  acquisition.  They  did  not 
come  from  the  free  schools  of  Louth  and  Alford  ;  they 
scarcely  had  their  foundation  behind  the  counter  of  the 
Lynn  merchant,  and  it  does  not  appear  that  he  was  much, 
if  anything,  indebted  to  his  parents.  They  were  the  fruits 
of  a  peculiar  original  endowment.  All  that  was  precious 
in  Smith's  education  came  from  his  experience. 

But  Smith  was  still  too  much  of  the  wayward  boy  to 
follow  implicitly  the  directions  of  his  friend.  Though  at 
first  honestly  resolved  to  do  so,  his  temper  was  quite  too 
capricious  just  at  that  moment  to  continue  in  his  purposes. 
There  were  too  many  objects  in  France  for  his  diversion. 
His  mind  was  too  eager  for  the  novel,  too  impatient  of  the 
staid,  too  wild,  too  erratic,  to  remain  long  at  this  period 
in  any  one  way  of  thinking.  And  let  us  not  too  seriously 
censure  these  exhibitions  of  caprice.  It  is  curious  to  ob 
serve  how  frequently,  not  to  say  inevitably,  they  attend  the 
career  of  the  young  adventurer  who  carves  out  his  own 
fame  and  fortunes.  It  is  in  this  way  that  nature  prompts 
to  the  necessary  acquisitions  of  the  performer.  The  rest 
lessness  of  mood  which  we  thus  witness,  leads  to  constant 
discovery.  The  wandering  footstep  is  associated  with  the 
keen  eye  and  the  scrutinizing  judgment ;  and  the  mind 
finds  its  strength  and  volume  in  this  seeming  caprice  and 
purposeless  misdirection,  as  the  muscle  of  the  child  grows 
from  the  feverish  restlessness  of  its  feeble  and  uncertain 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  If 

limbs.  While  we  studiously  train  the  young  to  the  steady 
exercise  of  their  faculties,  we  must  allow,  at  the  same 
time,  for  the  indulgence  of  those  impulses  which  cause 
vigilance,  far-sightedness,  promptness  of  decision,  and 
great  activity. 

Scarcely  had  Smith  got  out  of  the  sight  of  his  Scottish 
benefactor,  when  he  forgot  the  ambitious  purpose  which 
was  entertained  in  his  behalf.  He  forgot  Scotland  and 
its  pacific  monarch  in  a  new  impulse  to  adventure.  It  is 
probable  that  the  attractions  of  courtier  life  made  a  less 
lively  impression  on  his  fancy  than  upon  that  of  Hume. 
At  all  events,  arrived  at  Rouen,  he  finds  his  money  all 
spent,  and  listens  to  other  counsellors.  The  sound  of  the 
trumpet  stirs  his  soul  with  more  delightful  and  powerful 
sensations.  He  hears  the  shouts  of  the  horsemen,  and  the 
preparations  for  war.  Instead  of  Scotland  he  takes  the 
route  to  Havre  de  Grace,  where,  in  his  own  language,  u  he 
first  began  to  learn  the  life  of  a  soldier."  This  must  have 
been  somewhere  between  the  years  1608  and  1610.  What 
were  the  lessons  he  learned,  what  battles  he  saw,  in  what 
wars  or  on  what  side  he  was  engaged,  are  left  wholly  to 
conjecture.  The  civil  wars  of  the  Catholics  and  Protest 
ants,  terminating  in  the  assassination  of  Henry  IV.,  pre 
vailed  about  this  period.  That  Smith  shared  in  these  con 
fiicts,  and  on  the  Protestant  side  of  the  question,  may  rea 
sonably  be  inferred  from  all  the  circumstances.  These 
wars  were  at  an  end.  Peace  in  France  made  that  coun 
try  no  longer  an  attraction  to  him  who  had  just  taken  hi* 
first  lesson  in  the  art  of  war,  and  Smith  at  once  passed 
into  the  Low  Countries — then,  and  long  afterwards,  des 
tined  to  become  the  great  battle-ground  for  half  of  Europe. 
Here  he  served  four  years  under  a  Captain  Joseph  Dux- 
bury.  He  was  probably  one  of  a  band  of  English  auxi 
liaries  serving  against  Spain  in  the  great  conflict  which 


16  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

finally  secured  to  the  Netherlands  their  independence.  Of 
his  own  share  in  this  war,  and  of  the  position  which  he 
held,  Smith  tells  us  nothing.  Though  he  wrote  much, 
Smith  was  not  an  elegant  writer.  Though  sometimes 
tedious,  he  is  so  more  on  account  of  his  style  and  manner 
of  narrative  than  because  of  his  material.  He  is  never 
copious,  and  satisfies  himself  with  barely  glancing  at 
events,  the  details  of  which,  we  perceive,  would  enrich 
the  story  and  delight  the  reader.  It  is  only  when  he  ar 
rives  at  a  trust,  when  he  becomes  a  leader,  that  he  speaks 
distinctly  of  himself.  Of  Smith  in  the  ranks,  as  one  of 
many,  doing  nothing  more  and  nothing  better  than  the  rest, 
he  is  modestly  silent.  He  was  still  little  more  than  a  boy 
while  under  Duxbury,  could  scarcely  have  had  any  trust 
assigned  him,  and  evidently  considered  himself  as  barely 
serving  out  an  apprenticeship.  He  was  more  faithful  in 
this  than  in  the  service  of  the  Lynn  merchant.  That  he 
was  diligent  in  his  studies,  that  he  took  to  his  art  con 
amore,  and  mastered  it  quickly  and  with  a  rare  ability,  we 
have  every  reason  to  suppose  from  his  subsequent  career. 
Indeed,  but  a  short  time  after,  we  find  him  boasting  of 
his  acquisitions  even  when  silent  on  the  subject  of  his  per 
formances.  He  tells  us  with  equal  pride  and  modesty  that 
he  had  mastered  all  in  the  martial  schools  of  France  and 
the  Netherlands  that  u  his  tender  years  could  attain  unto." 
These  acquisitions  could  only  have  been  attained  by  prac 
tice  ;  this  practice  could  only  have  been  found  in  the 
actual  exigencies  of  war.  These  inferences  are  unavoid 
able.  Still,  it  is  to  be  wished  that  his  narrative  had  not 
been  so  meagre — that  we  could  have  been  suffered  to  see 
the  eager  spirit  of  the  boy,  and  how  he  bore  himself  in 
these  preparatory  campaigns.  We  should  have  been  the 
better  prepared  to  understand  the  origin  of  those  audacious 
instances  of  valor,  and  those  admirable  proofs  of  skill  and 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  17 

sagacity,  which  subsequently  became  so  completely  asso 
ciated  with  his  name. 

His  apprenticeship  to  the  art  of  war,  as  pursued  in  the 
Low  Countries,  was  prolonged  for  three  or  four  years.  At 
the  close  of  this  period,  in  some  interval  of  the  service,  or 
possibly  in  one  of  his  usual  caprices,  Smith  bethought 
himself  of  the  Scottish  letters  furnished  him  by  Hume. 
He  suddenly  resumed  the  purpose  which  he  had  abandon 
ed  at  Rouen,  and  once  more  determined  to  proceed  to 
Scotland.  He  embarks  accordingly  at  Ancusan  for  Leith. 
In  this  voyage  he  was  destined  to  enjoy  a  foretaste  of  that 
harsh  fortune  by  which  his  genius  was  to  be  schooled,  in 
order  to  the  requisite  training  for  its  true  performance. 
The  vessel  in  which  he  sailed  was  wrecked.  He  narrowly 
escaped  drowning  only  to  encounter  another  equally  great 
danger  from  a  severe  fit  of  sickness,  which  seized  him  on 
the  Holy  Isle  of  Northumberland,  near  Berwick.  Here 
he  lay  in  as  much  danger  "  as  sickness  could  endure."  As 
soon  as  he  had  sufficiently  recruited,  he  entered  Scotland, 
and  delivered  the  several  letters  which  Hume  had  given 
him  for  his  friends.  The  proverbial  hospitality  of  the 
Scotch  people  was  not  denied  to  Smith.  He  had  no  occa 
sion  for  complaint  on  this  score.  The  persons  to  whom 
his  letters  were  addressed — "  those  honest  Scots  at  Kip- 
weth  and  Broxmouth" — received  him  with  the  greatest 
kindness,  but  beyond  this  his  mission  produced  no  fruits. 
It  does  not  appear  that  he  was  ever  presented  to  the  king. 
He  himself  tells  us  that  there  "  was  neither  money  nor 
means  to  make  him  a  courtier."  His  native  independence 
of  character  may  have  been  an  obstacle,  may  have  ren 
dered  impossiblejto  his  spirit,  those  preliminary  servilities 
which  ambition,  taking  this  course,  is  compelled  usually 
to  undergo  before  it  can  hope  for  the  attainment  of  its  ob 
ject.  The  good  sense  or  the  proud  stomach  of  our  hero, 


18  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

may  have  saved  him  from  this  sort  of  degradation ;  and 
such  it  was  like  to  have  been,  in  fawning  upon  such  a 
monarch  as  James  the  First.  By  a  comparison  of  dates, 
it  is  highly  probable  that  this  sovereign  was  now  becom 
ing  eagerly  anxious  for  the  robes  of  Elizabeth.  Her  de 
mise  followed  a  few  years  after,  and  looking  to  this  event 
we  may  reasonably  conjecture  that  bonnie  King  Jamie 
had  no  particular  reason  to  increase  his  establishment  in  a 
country  from  which  at  any  moment  he  might  have  been 
summoned  to  depart.  What  would  have  been  the  effect 
upon  Smith's  fortunes,  and  those  of  England,  had  the 
former  found  his  way  into  favor — in  anticipation  of  Buck 
ingham — had  his  nobler  spirit  dictated  the  enterprises,  and 
stimulated  the  courage  of  the  kingdom  ?  Imaginative  his 
tories,  equally  instructive  and  amusing,  may  sometimes  be 
wrought  by  the  happy  intellect, pursuing  some  such  grate 
ful  conjecture,  upon  a  single  fact  assumed,  to  its  probable 
conclusion,  in  changing  the  destiny  of  kingdoms  and  in 
averting  the  fall  of  kings.  This  is  one  of  these  subjects. — 
Smith  taken  into  the  family  of  James,  while  yet  a  boy  at 
the  Court  of  Scotland,  might, with  the  vigor  of  youth, have 
pursued  and  carried  out  the  brilliant  schemes  of  Raleigh, 
then  no  longer  young ;  and  by  realizing  some  of  the  nobler 
objects  of  that  great  man,  while  yet  he  lived,  might  have 
yielded  a  human  consolation  to  his  dying  moments.  The 
roving  passion  was  strong  in  both  their  bosoms,  and  their 
career  in  arms  was  not  unlike.  They  both  received  their 
early  lessons  of  war  in  France  and  the  Netherlands,  fight 
ing  for  the  same  behalf,  that  of  the  Protestants.  We  shall 
see  that  one  at  least  of  the  adventurous  projects  of  Raleigh 
was  destined  to  owe  its  successful  prosecution  to  the  saga 
city,  the  courage  and  the  energy  of  Smith. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  cause,  our  hero  was  very 
icon  diverted  from  any  thought  of  pursuing  the  toils  and 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  19 

the  occupations  of  the  courtier  ;  and,  possibly  with  some 
feelings  of  chagrin  and  disappointment  with  the  world,  he 
returned  to  Willoughby,  in  Lincolnshire,  his  place  of  birth. 
Here  it  appears  that  he  lived  a  great  deal  in  society ;  but 
the  society  even  of  his  early  abode,  the  first  sensations  of 
pleasure  over,  was  not  calculated  to  satisfy  a  mind  of  his 
eccentric  energies.  He  describes  himself  as  "glutted  with 
too  much  company,  wherein  he  took  small  delight."  la 
moments  of  exhaustion,  from  previous  excess  of  toil  or 
enterprise,  the  spirits  of  persons  of  this  order  flag,  and  re 
quire  a  degree  of  repose  strictly  proportioned  to  the  energy 
they  have  displayed  in  their  preceding  exertions.  To  a 
man  like  Smith  in  particular — one  who  had  lived  so  rapid 
ly,  and  had  already  seen  so  much  of  the  world — there 
could  have  been  no  condition  so  well  calculated  to  pall 
upon  his  tastes  as  the  tame  and  monotonous  movement  of 
daily  life  in  the  humdrum  quiet  of  a  country  town.  His 
blood  was  naturally  fretted  by  inactivity,  and  the  very 
presence  of  a  crowd,  of  a  society  that  was  performing  no 
thing,  must  soon  have  disgusted  a  temper  which,  for  so  long 
a  period,  had  enjoyed  for  its  daily  food  the  humors  and  the 
excitements  of  a  camp,  the  variety  and  the  animation  of  a 
great  city,  the  dangers  of  the  sea,  and  the  thousand  stimu 
lating  aspects  and  avocations  of  a  strange  land.  His  reme 
dy  against  the  apathy  into  which  he  was  in  danger  of  fall 
ing  from  his  intercourse  with  a  society  which  to  him  could 
afford  no  nourishment,  was  of  a  kind  to  denote  the  impa 
tience  and  the  independence  of  his  mind.  He  fled  alto 
gether  from  communion  with  men,  adopting  a  like  resort 
with  many  of  the  bold  and  eccentric  persons  of  past 
times,  and  betook  himself  to  the  solitude  and  shelter  of  the 
forests.  "  In  woodie  pasture,"  thus  he  writes,  "  invironned 
with  many  hundred  acres  of  other  woods,"  he  adopted  the 
guise  and  the  manners  of  a  hermit.  "  Here,  by  a  faire 


20  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

brooke,  he  built  himself  a  pavillion  ot  boughs,  where  onelj 
in  his  clothes  he  lay."  We  see  in  this  proceeding  the  ro 
mantic  tendencies  of  his  character — that  eager,  enthusias 
tic  nature,  which  always  yearns  for  the  wild,  the  strange 
and  the  extravagant — disdaining  the  beaten  track,  and 
eagerly  striving  after  a  condition  and  performances  from 
which  the  ordinary  temper  shrinks  ever  in  dismay.  In  this 
very  errantry  we  may  see  the  germ  of  that  adventurous 
mood  which  led  him  in  rnaturer  years  across  the  Atlantic 
to  the  fathomless  depths  of  forest  in  Virginia. 

Here,  in  his  "  pavillion  of  boughs,"  he  gave  further 
proofs  of  the  decided  character  of  his  genius  in  the  books 
which  he  read,  and  the  exercises,  strange  enough  in  his 
hermit  life,  which  he  adopted.  His  "  studie  was  Machia- 
vellie's  Arte  of  Warre"  and  Marcus  Aurelius ;  his  exer 
cise,  a  good  horse  with  a  lance  and  ring.  His  moods,  er 
rant  though  they  were,  did  not,  it  seems,  interfere  with  that 
self-training,  which  was  certainly  the  best  that  he  could 
have  chosen  for  service  in  his  future  career.  The  horse, 
the  lance  and  the  ring  brought  to  him  the  skill,  and  show 
him  to  have  been  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  chivalry.  Few 
of  the  courtiers  of  King  James  are  likely  to  have  been  as 
decidedly  inclined  to  such  exercises.  As  a  hunter  he 
practised  some  other  of  the  minor  arts  of  war.  His  food 
was  chiefly  venison  of  his  own  taking.  He  states  this  fact 
slily  thus :  "his  food  was  thought  to  be  more  of  venison 
than  anything  else,"  as  if  he  were  troubled  with  certain 
misgivings  on  the  subject  of  the  game-laws.  His  other 
wants  were  supplied  by  a  servant,  through  whose  means 
he  still  maintained  some  slight  intercourse  with  the  world 
which  he  had  forsworn. 

His  library,  thus  limited  to  two  volumes,  and  those  not 
of  a  character  to  beget  the  impulse  to  such  an  eccentric 
mode  of  life  as  that  which  he  adopted,  we  are  to  look  for 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  2) 

this  impulse  to  the  natural  constitution  of  his  mind,  urged 
by  an  ambition  which  is  yet  vague  in  its  developments, 
and  taught  by  a  judgment  yet  in  the  green  of  youth,  and 
from  the  early  exercise  of  his  will,  equally  uncertain  in 

ts  aim  and  resolved  upon  its  prosecution.  Smith  had 
something  of  the  poet  in  him,  and  wrote  smooth  verses 
upon  occasions,  but  does  not  seem  to  have  been  much  a 

eader  of  the  poets.  His  romantic  excesses  were  probably 
all  native,  the  natural  overflow  of  a  mind,  vigorous,  easily 
excited,  and  so  full  of  spontaneous  utterance,  as  necessarily 
to  rush  at  times  beyond  the  limits  of  a  sober  and  restrain 
ing  reason.  And  yet  it  is  only  by  a  course  of  reasoning 
based  upon  the  ordinary  habits  of  the  merely  social  man, 
that  we  shall  see  anything  to  astonish  us  or  to  provoke 
censure  in  the  hermit  seclusion  and  studies  of  our  hero 
The  eccentricity  of  this  mode  of  life  soon  had  the  effect 
of  making  him  notorious  ;  and  here  we  may  remark  that, 
in  all  probability,  this  was  not  the  most  disagreeable  result 
which  he  anticipated  from  his  present  strange  career. 
The  mind  of  Smith,  naturally  ambitious  of  distinction,  was 
swelling  like  that  of  the  Spaniard.  He  was  one  of  those 
who  crave  to  live  ever  in  the  eyes  of  men — who  enter 
tain  a  passion,  born  of  impetuous  blood,  which  seeks  pre 
sent  distinction  and  reward  for  performances,  and  which 
works  constantly  with  an  appetite  for  present  homage. 
To  such  persons  the  applause  of  contemporaries  is  fame, 
or  such  a  foretaste  of  it,  as  to  make  it  certain  that  they 
shall  attain  the  object  which  they  seek.  He  was  not  dis 
pleased  when  the  rustic  world  around  him  began  to  stare 
at  the  strange  stories  which  they  heard  about  their  neigh 
bor  hermit.  He  found  his  pleasure,  and  possibly  his  pro 
fit  also,  in  provoking  the  wonder  of  the  peasantry.  By 
degrees  the  fame  of  our  anchorite  extended  to  the  weal 
thier  classes,  and  at  length  an  Italian  gentleman,  a  sort  of 


22  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

master  of  the  horse  to  the  Earl  of  Lincoln,  was  persuaded 
to  seek  out  our  hermit  in  his  "  pavillion  of  boughs."  He 
did  so.  He  penetrated  to  the  forest  den  of  Smith,  and 
made  himself  known  to  him.  The  visit  did  not  offend  our 
hero,  who,  in  all  probability,  began  to  tire  of  his  seclusion 
The  conversation  of  the  Italian  pleased  him,  and  his  horse 
manship  no  less.  Gradually,  at  length,  as  an  intimacy 
grew  up  between  them,  Smith  was  beguiled  from  his  soli 
tude,  which  he  abandoned  with  his  new  associate.  But  the 
society  which  he  thus  acquired  did  not  suffice  for  the 
exacting  spirit  of  our  adventurer  any  more  than  did  that 
of  Willoughby.  "  Long  these  pleasures  conld  not  content 
him,"  and  he  chafed  in  his  inactivity,  as  the  lion,  born  for 
the  desert,  chafes  at  the  close  limits  of  his  cage.  Smith 
was  not  encaged.  He  was  not  to  be  kept.  He  was  of 
that  hardy  nature  which  yearns  for  the  conflict,  and 
loses  the  pleasant  consciousness  of  its  strength,  unless  in 
the  absolute  enjoyment  of  the  struggle.  He  probably  ap 
peared  even  to  disadvantage  in  moments  of  repose  and 
quiet.  Be  this  as  it  may,  in  such  quiet  as  that  for  which 
his  solitude  had  been  surrendered  he  was  not  willing  to 
remain.  His  Italian  friend  failed  to  keep  him  at  Tatter- 
sail's,  and  we  find  him,  very  soon  after,  breaking  away 
from  this  intimacy  and  from  England,  once  more  to  seek 
his  fortunes  in  the  Low  Countries. 


CHAPTER    II. 

"  THUS,"  says  our  hero,  in  his  own  narrative,  u  when 
France  and  the  Netherlands  had  taught  him  to  ride  a 
horse,  and  to  use  his  armes,  with  such  rudiments  of  warre 
as  his  tender  ye"eres  in  those  martial  schooles  could  attaine 
unto,  he  was  desirous  to  see  more  of  the  world,  and  to  try 
his  fortune  against  the  Turkes,  both  lamenting  and  repenting 
to  have  scene  so  many  Christians  slaughter  one  another." 
The  passage  would  seem  to  imply  that  he  had  a  second 
time  seen  service  in  the  Low  Countries.  Yet  of  this 
period  and  service  we  have  no  particulars.  It  was  his  pe 
riod  of  apprenticeship  only,  in  which  fortune  afforded  him 
no  opportunities  of  distinction,  or  his  "  tender  years" 
made  it  impossible  that  he  should  avail  himself  of  them. 
He  was  at  this  time  but  nineteen  years  old,  hopeful,  san 
guine  and  warmly  confiding,  as  is  usually  the  case  with 
persons  of  this  temperament.  He  was  to  incur  its  usual 
penalties,  and  to  pay  dearly  for  that  caution  which  exue- 
rience  alone  can  teach,  and  which  is  so  important  lor 
him  who  seeks  to  be  a  leader  among  men.  We  next 
find  him  in  company  with  four  French  gallants,  famous 
rogues  it  would  seem,  who  flatter  his  vanity  and  take  ad 
vantage  of  his  youth.  Nobody  is  more  easily  betrayed 
than  the  youth  having  large  enthusiasm  of  character,  and 
a  warm  faith  in  what  is  allotted  for  his  performance.  One 
of  these  cunning  Frenchmen  passes  himself  off  upon  our 
hero  as  a  nobleman.  The  rest  are  his  attendants.  It  is 
not  difficult  to  deceive  a  character  such  as  that  of  Smith. 
Vigilant  by  nature  against  the  enemy,  the  same  nature 
places  no  sentinel  against  the  approach  of  friendship.  In 


24  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

this  guise,  our  cunning  Frenchmen  play  their  parts  to  ad- 
miration.  Our  hero  yields  thorn  his  full  heart.  They 
persuade  him  to  go  with  them  into  France,  where  they 
should  not  only  obtain  the  necessary  means  for  going 
against  the  Turks,  but  letters  from  certain  distinguished 
persons  to  the  general  of  the  Hungarian  army.  The  pre 
tences  were  all  plausible,  the  end  to  be  attained  of  consi 
derable  importance.  The  parties  embarked  in  a  small 
vessel,  the  captain  of  which,  if  not  a  party  to  the  designs 
of  the  Frenchmen,  at  least  was  disposed  to  wink  at  their 
proceedings.  Smith  had  money  and  fine  clothes.  In 
these  respects  they  were  less  liberally  provided.  He  was 
a  youth,  very  confiding,  and  might  be  plucked  with  safety. 
It  does  not  seem  to  have  required  much  skill  in  the  ope 
ration.  It  was  on  a  dark  and  gloomy  night  in  winter, 
when  they  reached  the  port  of  St.  Valery,  in  Picardy. 
Under  cover  of  the  night  the  conspirators,  with  all  theii 
own  baggage  and  that  of  Smith,  were  taken  ashore  by  the 
captain  without  the  knowledge  of  the  other  passengers. 
It  was  not  until  the  rogues  were  fully  beyond  reach  that 
the  treacherous  shipmaster  returned  to  his  vessel.  When 
the  robbery  was  detected  it  was  without  present  remedy.  It 
•s  very  probable  that  the  captain  was  a  sharer  of  the  spoils. 
He  no  doubt  commanded  one  of  those  coasting  luggers  of 
•mixed  character,  to  be  found  at  that  period  in  all  the  mari 
time  countries  of  Europe,  which  played  according  to  circum 
stances  the  character  of  the  smuggler  or  of  the  honest  trader. 
The  extreme  youth  of  Smith,  and  the  manner  in  which  he 
had  been  stripped  of  everything,  awakened  the  compassion 
of  the  passengers,  while  the  evident  treachery  of  the  cap 
tain  enkindled  all  their  rage.  Some  of  them  supplied  the 
oresent  wants  of  the  former.  He  had  been  left  wholly 
without  clothes,  those  only  which  he  wore  excepted  ;  and 
with  but  a  single  penny  in  his  pocket,  was  compelled  to 


LIFE  OF  CAPTAIN  SMITH.         2C 

part  with  his  cloak  for  the  payment  of  his  passage.  The 
indignation  against  the  master  of  the  vessel  had  nearly  led 
to  disastrous  consequences.  The  passengers  were  kept 
with  difficulty  from  putting  him  to  death  in  their  fury,  anc1 
nothing  but  their  ignorance  of  the  ship's  management  pre 
vented  them  from  running  away  with  her.  Fortunately 
these  intemperate  counsels  did  not  prevail,  and  the  vessel 
was  relieved  of  her  angry  inmates  without  suffering,  except 
in  the  fright  of  the  captain,  which, we  may  be  allowed  to 
hope,  afforded  him  a  proper  lesson  of  prudence,  if  not  of 
honesty. 

In  these  events  our  luckless  adventurer  was  not  wholly 
without  consolation.  He  found  friends  among  his  new 
companions.  One  of  these,  in  particular,  who  was  him 
self  an  outlawed  man,  and  might  therefore  be  naturally  ex 
pected  to  sympathize  with  one  so  young  and  so  friendless, 
helped  him  to  money,  and  brought  him  from  place  to  place 
to  a  knowledge  of  his  own  friends,  by  whom  he  was  every 
where  hospitably  entertained.  His  story  interests  the  peo 
ple,  who  are  won  by  his  youth,  the  frankness  of  his  temper, 
and  the  graces  of  his  person ;  those  externals  of  character 
and  figure  which  prompted  Hume  to  think  of  him  as  a 
courtier  for  King  James.  He  meets  with  kindness  and 
protection  finally  from  lords  and  ladies,  whose  names  he 
gives,  but  whom  it  is  scarcely  possible  for  us  to  identify, 
disguised  as  they  are  by  the  antique  English  spelling  of  our 
author.  With  these  persons  he  might,  as  he  writes, 
/c  have  recreated  himself  so  longe  as  he  woulde  ;"  but,  as 
he  adds,  "  such  pleasant  pleasures  suited  little  with  his 
poore  estate  and  his  restlesse  spirit,  that  could  never  finnde 
content  to  receive  such  noble  favours  as  he  could  neithei 
deserve  nor  requite."  Accordingly,  break1" ng  away  frorr 
his  new  friends  as  he  had  done  from  the  old,  he  resumed 
his  wanderings,  seemingly  without  an  object  beyond  the 


26  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

gratification  of  that  restlessness  of  mood  and  independence 
of  resolve,  which  were  the  prime  characteristics  of  his 
genius  for  ever  after.  In  these  wanderings  he  is  made  to 
endure  much  misery  and  privation.  His  means  are  soon 
exhausted,  his  stout  heart  begins  to  fail  him,  probably  be 
cause  of  the  want  of  food  ;  and,  one  day,  finding  himself 
in  a  forest,  he  flings  himself,  nearly  dead  with  grief  and 
cold,  "  beside  a  faire  fountaine  under  a  tree,"  as  if  resolved 
to  yield  to  despair  and  to  go  no  farther.  Here  he  is  found 
by  a  neighboring  farmer,  who  takes  pity  on  his  condition,  re 
lieves  his  wants,  and  gives  him  means  to  resume  his  jour 
ney.  And  thus  he  fared,  travelling  from  province  to  pro 
vince,  and  from  port  to  port,  following  the  bent  of  a  way 
ward  inclination,  still  dissatisfied  and  vexed  with  those 
vague  yearnings  which  naturally  troubled  the  mind  of  him 
who  has  not  yet  learned  to  address  himself  to  his  legiti 
mate  objects.  While  thus  wandering,  the  fortune  which 
refuses  to  find  him  better  opportunities,  helps  to  gratify 
his  revenge.  Alone,  and  vagabondizing  in  Brittany,  he 
accidentally  meets  in  a  wood  with  one  of  the  treacherous 
Frenchmen  who  had  robbed  him  of  his  clothes  and  money. 
This  fellow  was  named  Cursell.  The  parties  recognized 
each  other  at  a  glance,  and  under  an  equal  impulse  their 
weapons  were  bared  in  the  same  instant.  With  an  avow 
ed  object  or  enemy  before  him  Smith  was  decisive  always 
They  had  no  words.  u  The  piercing  injuries"  of  our  hero 
in  his  own  language,  "  had  small  patience."  His  superioi 
•skill,  together  with  (as  we  may  surely  assume)  the  good 
ness  of  his  cause,  gave  him  rather  an  easy  victory.  He 
tells  of  it  without  any  boasting.  The  fight  took  place  in 
the  presence  of  several  persons,  the  inhabitants  of  an  old 
tower  standing  in  the  vicinity.  In  the  hearing  of  these 
*e  extorted  an  ample  confession  of  his  guilt  from  the 
"obber  he  had  overthrown  and  wounded.  But  he  obtained 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  27 

no  further  satisfaction.  It  appears  from  CurselPs  con 
fession  that  the  rogues  had  quarrelled  among  themselves 
for  a  division  of  the  spoils,  that  they  had  fought,  and  he 
had  been  driven  away  from  any  participation  of  it.  With 
this  story,  and  the  honorable  victory  which  he  had  won, 
Smith  was  compelled  to  be  satisfied  ;  and  leaving  the  wound 
ed  robber  to  his  own  conscience  and  the  care  of  the  peas 
antry  before  whom  he  had  confessed,  he  directed  his  steps 
to  the  seat  of  the  Earl  of  Ployer,  whom  he  had  formerly 
known  during  the  wars  in  France.  By  this  nobleman  and 
others,  his  kinsmen,  Smith  was  received  with  distinction. 
They  took  pains  to  show  him  the  country,  "  Saint  Male's 
Mount,  Saint  Michael,  and  divers  other  places  in  Brittany," 
and  when  he  was  ready  to  depart,  they  supplied  him  with 
means  and  sent  him  on  his  way  rejoicing.  Pursuing  such 
a  route  as  would  enable  him  to  see  the  country,  and  gra 
tify  the  caprices  of  his  curiosity,  he  at  length  made  his 
way  to  Marseilles,  where  he  took  passage  in  a  ship  for 
Italy. 

He  was  destined  on  this  voyage  to  experience  another 
of  those  trials,  by  which  it  would  seem  that  fortune  studies 
to  task  the  strength,  while  she  confers  upon  genius  the 
degree  of  hardihood  which  is  essential  for  great  achieve 
ments.  The  vessel  in  which  Smith  sailed  was  crowded 
with  pilgrims  of  the  Catholic  faith,  making  their  way  to 
Rome.  She  had  scarcely  put  to  sea  when  she  was  driven 
by  stress  of  weather  into  the  harbor  of  Toulon.  This 
mishap,  and  possibly  some  indiscretion  of  his  own,  drew 
all  eyes  particularly  upon  himself.  They  discovered  that 
he  was  the  only  Protestant  on  board.  He  was  the  Jonah, 
accordingly,  to  whom  their  misfortune  was  ascribed,  and 
they  exercised  their  own  ill-humor,  and  his  patience,  by 
denouncing  his  religion  and  his  nation,  in  no  measured 
language,  to  his  teeth.  How,  with  a  temper  so  quick  and 


28  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

passionate,  he  forbore  his  defiance  at  this  treatment,  or 
that  he  did  forbear,  is  not  told  us.  The  matter  was  not 
mended  when  they  resumed  the  voyage.  The  bad  wea 
ther  continued,  and  the  vessel  was  once  more  compelled 
to  seek  the  refuge  of  a  port.  They  cast  anchor  under  the 
little,  isle  of  St.  Mary,  which  lies  off  Nice,  in  Savoy.  Here 
the  pious  Catholics  once  more  gave  vent  to  their  indigna 
tion  at  the  presence  of  so  pernicious  a  heretic  among 
them.  "  They  wildly  railed  on  his  dreade  sovraigne, 
Queen  Elizabeth  ;"  "  hourly  cursing  him  not  only  for  a 
Hugonait,  but  his  nation  they  swore  were  all  pyrats."  In 
short,  concluding  "  that  they  never  should  have  faire 
weather  so  long  as  hee  was  aboard  them,  their  disputa 
tions  grew  to  that  passion"  that  at  length  they  cast  him 
into  the  sea.  We  are  told  by  one  of  the  authorities,  that 
he  used  his  cudgel  soundly  among  them  before  they  pro 
ceeded  to  this  extremity  ;  but  the  assertion  is  grossly 
improbable,  allowing  anything  for  his  discretion,  and  his 
own  narrative  affords  no  sanction  for  the  story.  That  he 
may  have  defended  himself  when  they  offered  to  lay 
hands  upon  him — that  he  did  defend  himself — is  probable 
enough.  But  that  he  offered  violence  in  anticipation  of 
this  proceeding  is  highly  questionable.  Smith,  even  at 
this  early  day,  was  not  without  discretion.  He  was  bold 
enough,  but  scarcely  so  rash  or  so  thoughtless  as,  without 
help,  to  rush  into  conflict  with  a  whole  ship-load  of  angry 
enemies.  That  he  met  their  vituperations  with  responses 
fashioned  in  a  like  style — that  he  gave  them  as  good  as 
they  sent  in  the  way  of  spiritual  doctrine,  and  berated  the 
pope  as  savagely  as  they  cursed  his  "  dreade  sovraigne, 
Elizabeth,"  may  be  admitted ;  and  in  this  way  he  may 
have  precipitated  those  extremities,  which  at  a  later  day 
his  prudence  would  have  taught  him  to  avoid.  But,  whe 
ther  imprudent  or  merely  unfortunate,  the  storm  still  pre- 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH  29 

vailing,  he  was  dismissed  by  these  pious  pilgrims  to  the 
tender  mercies  of  the  deep.  Well  for  him  was  it  that  the 
vessel  was  so  nigh  the  shore.  It  wa.s  among  the  accom 
plishments  of  his  desultory  mode  of  life  that  he  was  an 
able  swimmer.  His  heart  did  not  fail  him,  nor  his  limbs. 
Buffeting  the  seas  manfully,  he  succeeded  in  making  his 
way,  with  little  hazard  or  difficulty,  to  the  dry  land  on 
St.  Mary's  isle.  The  place  was  uninhabited,  except  by  a 
few  kine  or  goats ;  and  here,  but  for  his  better  fortune,  he 
might  have  become  another  Alexander  Selkirk,  with  a 
temper  quite  as  well  prepared  as  his  to  make  the  most  of 
his  barren  empire.  But  the  very  next  day  he  was  taken 
off  by  a  French  vessel,  which,  like  his  own,  had  put  in  to 
find  shelter  from  the  storm.  This  vessel  was  commanded 
by  one  Captain  La  Roche,  of  St.  Malo,  who  proved  to  be 
a  friend  of  the  Earl  of  Ployer.  When  he  ascertained  the 
friendship  of  this  nobleman  for  Smith,  he  treated  him  with 
the  utmost  kindness  and  consideration. 

To  the  roving  mind  of  our  hero  it  did  not  much  matter 
to  what  quarter  of  the  globe  his  face  was  turned,  and, 
well  entertained,  he  made  no  sort  of  objection  to  accom 
panying  his  new  acquaintance  on  his  voyage.  They 
sailed  accordingly  to  Alexandria,  in  Egypt.  Smith  does 
not  tell  us  in  what  capacity  he  went  with  Captain  La 
Roche,  nor  whether  he  participated,  except  as  a  looker  on, 
in  any  of  the  proceedings  of  the  latter.  But  he  was  of  an 
age  and  a  character  which  must  have  made  him  highly 
useful  in  any  situation,  and  we  may  readily  conceive  that 
he  was  not  simply  "  an  idle  mouth"  on  the  passage.  Dis 
charging  her  freight  at  Alexandria,  they  went  to  Scande- 
roon,  "  rather,"  says  Smith,  "  to  see  what  ships  were  in 
the  roade  than  anything  else."  The  truth  seems  to  be 
that  our  vessel  of  Brittany  was  something  more  than  a 
merchantman.  She  could  serve  a  turn  at  oth^r  purposes, 
3 


30  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH 

and  her  cruise  simply  "  to  see  what  ships  \\vre  in  the 
roade"  was  not  a  quest  of  idle  curiosity.  "  Keeping-  their 
course  by  Cypres  and  the  coast  of  Asia,  sayling  hy  Rhodes, 
the  Arc.hipe/lagans,  Candia  and  the  coast  of  Grccia,  and 
the  isle  of  Zeffalonia,"  they  lay-to  for  a  few  days,  evidently 
on  the  watch  for  prey,  between  the  isle  of  Corfu  and  the 
Cape  of  Otranto  at  the  entrance  of  the  Adriatic  Sea. 

Here  they  did  not  watch  in  vain.  Their  cruise  was 
rewarded  by  an  encounter  with  a  Venetian  argosy,  richly 
laden  with  gold,  silks,  velvets,  tissue,  and  other  rare  pro 
ducts  of  that  genius  and  invention,  in  which  the  Venetians 
were  then  very  much  in  advance  of  the  age.  This 
encounter  enlightens  us  somewhat  in  regard  to  the  object 
of  our  Frenchman's  course,  although  it  is  not  certain 
that  his  quest  was  a  Venetian  vessel.  It  does  not  appear 
that  war  at  that  time  existed  between  France  and  the  Re 
public,  but  this  was  not  necessary  to  make  insecure  the 
rich  argosies  of  the  one  nation,  meeting  with  a  cruiser 
of  the  other,  where  no  cognizance  of  their  mutual  doings 
might  be  had.  The  suspicious  demeanor  of  our  ves 
sel  of  Brittany  startled  the  fears  of  the  vigilant  Vene 
tian.  He  very  imprudently  answered  the  civil  salutation 
of  Capt.  La  Roche  with  a  shot,  affording  him  in  all  proba 
bility  the  very  pretext  which  he  desired.  This  shot, killing 
one  man  on  board  the  Frenchman,  brought  on  a  general 
action.  The  conflict  which  followed  was  exceedingly 
fierce.  Twice  in  the  space  of  an  hour  and  a  half  did  the 
French  board  the  Venetian,  and  twice  wrere  they  gallantly 
repelled.  A  third  attempt  resulted  in  the  two  vessels  taking 
fire.  The  mutual  danger  led  to  their  separation.  The 
fire  was  soon  quenched,  but  not  the  fury  of  the  assailants 
Their  rage  at  being  baffled  led  to  more  desperate  efforts 
and  these  were  successful.  The  Venetian,  in  a  sinking 
condition,  yielded  to  the  captors.  They  went  to  work  to 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  61 

stop  the  leaks  only  that  they  might  be  enabled  to  rifle  her 
of  her  valuable  merchandize.  This  required  twenty-four 
hours  at  the  least,  and  Smith  tells  us  that  the  u  silkes,  vel 
vets,  cloth  of  gold  and  tissue,  pyastres,  chicqueens  and 
sultanies  which  is  gold,"  of  which  they  despoiled  her  in 
that  space  of  time,  "  was  wonderful."  Having  crammed 
their  own  vessel,  they  cast  off  the  prize,  leaving  in  her  as 
much  good  merchandize  as  would  have  "frauyhted  such 
another  Britaine."  The  Venetian  was  four  or  five  hundred 
tons  in  burthen,  the  Frenchman  but  two  hundred.  The 
latter  lost  fifteen,  the  former  twrenty  men  in  the  engage 
ment — a  sufficient  proof  of  its  severity.  That  Smith  took 
conspicuous  part  in  the  fight,  with  the  hearty  good  will 
and  the  stubborn  courage  of  the  Englishman,  may  be  infer 
red  from  his  share  of  the  spoils,  which  amounted  to  "  five 
hundred  chicqueens  (sequins)  and  a  little  box,"  God-bent 
him  (that  is,  we  suppose,  the  immediate  spoil  of  his  own 
right  hand)  with  as  many  more.  The  box  was  probably 
one  of  jewels. 

Smith,  so  far  as  mere  pecuniary  fortune  was  concerned, 
had  every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  this  adventure.  But 
he  was  not  satisfied  to  pursue  the  career  thus  handsomely 
opening  before  his  eyes.  He  prepares  to  leave  La  Roche, 
and,  at  his  own  request,  with  his  sequins  and  his  jewelry, 
is  set  on  shore  in  Piedmont.  He  parts  kindly  with  La 
Roche,  whom  he  styles  "  this  noble  Britaine,"  and  who 
seems  to  have  treated  him  with  an  appreciating  and  just 
consideration.  His  next  journey  is  for  Leghorn  ;  and, 
making  the  tour  of  Italy,  he  meets  the  friends  with  whom 
his  first  pilgrimage  had  been  made,  Lord  Wil  lough  by  and 
his  brother.  He  finds  them  under  painful  circumstances 
upon  which  he  does  not  dilate  :  "  Cruelly  wounded  in  a 
desperate  fray,  yet  to  their  exceeding  great  honour." 
Yet  what  had  been  their  experience,  compared  with  his, 


•^  LIFE      OF      C  A  P  T  A  I  K      SMITH. 

from  the  moment  of  their  first  separation,  when  all  of 
them  were  boys,  to  that  of  their  present  meeting  ?  What 
a  life  of  adventure  had  the  nobleman  of  nature  led  in  com 
parison  with  the  easy  fortunes  which  were  theirs — the 
noblemen  of  society  ?  What  lessons  had  he  learned  of 
courage,  and  wisdom,  and  expedient,  to  serve  him  in  a 
perilous  career,  and  to  secure  him  future  eminence  ? 

Smith  visits  Rome,  where  it  was  "  his  chance  to  see 
Pope  Clement  the  Eighth,  with  many  cardinals,  creepe 
up  the  holy  stayres."  From  Rome  he  went  to  Naples, 
and  other  great  places,  lt  to  satisfie  his  eye  with  faire 
cities,  and  the  kingdome's  nobilitie  ;"  and  after  a  very  am 
ple  tour,  the  description  of  which,  as  contained  in  his  own 
narrative,  is  exceedingly  bald  and  valueless,  but  in  which 
we  have  reason  to  suppose  that  he  was  pretty  well  re 
lieved  of  all  his  sequins,  wo  find  him  suddenly  awakened 
to  a  recollection  of  the  original  put-pose  for  which  he  sail 
ed  from  France — that  of  joining  the  armies  of  Rodolph  of 
Germany,  then  waging  war  against  the  Turks,  uuuer  the 
third  Mahomet.  From  Venice  lie  p.oceeded  to  Ragusa, 
on  the  Adriatic,  where  he  lingered  "  some  time  to  see  that 

O 

barren,  broken  coast  of  Albania  and  Dalmatia  ;"  thence 
to  Capo  D'  Istria,  "  travelling  the  maine  of  poor  Slavonia," 
till  he  came  to  Gratz  in  Styria,  the  residence  of  Ferdi 
nand,  Archduke  of  Austria,  and  afterwards  Emperor  of 
Germany.  Here  he  met  with  an  Englishman  and  an 
Irish  Jesuit,  by  whom,  having  made  them  acquainted  with 
his  desires,  he  wras  presented  to  Lord  Ebersbaught, 
Baron  Kisell,  the  Earl  of  Meldritch,  and  other  persons  of 
distinction  in  the  imperial  army.  He  was  soon  successful 
in  finding  his  way  to  the  confidence  of  these  noblemen  ; 
and  attaching  himself  to  the  staff  of  the  latter,  who  was  a 
colonel  of  cavalry,  proceeded  with  his  regiment  soon  after 
to  Vienna. 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE  time  at  which  Smith  made  his  appearance  as  a  vol 
unteer  in  the  armies  of  Rodolph  was  particularly  favorable 
to  the  desires  of  one  having  so  large  an  appetite  for  mili 
tary  achievements.  A  cruel  war  had  long  been  raging 
between  the  Christian  power  of  Germany  and  the  Grand 
Seignior.  The  close  of  the  career  of  Amurath  the  Third 
had  been  hastened  and  embittered  by  disaster.  He  entail 
ed  upon  his  successor,  the  third  Mahomet,  the  necessity, 
or  more  properly  the  seeming  policy,  for  continuing  the 
same  bloody  warfare.  The  year  1601,  at  the  close  of 
which  Smith  made  his  appearance  in  this  new  field,  had 
been  distinguished  by  many  terrible  conflicts,  the  advan 
tage  remaining  in  some  measure  with  the  Turks.  They 
had  ravaged  Hungary,  and  taken  some  of  its  best  for 
tresses  ;  and  Ibrahim  Bashaw,  with  an  immense  army, 
had  laid  siege  to  Canissia,  a  place  of  strength  on  the  bor 
ders  of  Styria,  nearly  surrounded  by  deep  marshes.  The 
Christian  forces  undertaking  the  relief  of  this  place  were 
defeated  with  great  slaughter,  and  Canissia  was  finally 
surrendered.  Flushed  with  this  success,  the  Turks  pushed 
forward  to  other  conquests,  and,  with  a  force  of  twenty 
thousand  men,  laid  siege  to  Olympach.  The  defence  of 
this  town  was  assigned  to  Lord  Ebersbaught,  one  of  the 
officers  of  the  imperial  army,  to  whom  our  hero  had  been 
introduced  at  Gratz.  In  this  nrwv  acquaintance  he  had 
found  a  willing  listener  to  the  narrative  of  his  military 
career,  and  to  certain  suggestions,  which  might  have  been 
original  with  Smith,  for  the  improvement  of  the  art  of 
war.  Something  of  his  views  may  have  been  gathered 


34  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

from  his  reading,  more  perhaps  from  his  experience,  and  a 
good  deal  from  the  activity  of  his  mind,  which  could 
digest  with  equal  independence  the  material  derived  from 
these  twofold  sources.  Smith's  brain  seems  to  have  been 
full  to  overflowing  of  strategic  matter.  He  was  at  once 
the  thinker  and  the  worker  :  that  rare  combination  of 
character,  as  we  have  said  before,  by  which  men  of  action 
are  distinguished.  He  was  always — to  use  his  own  phrase 
— "  trying  such  conclusions  as  he  projected  to  undertake." 
Some  of  these  conclusions,  with  which  he  succeeded  in 
impressing  Lord  Ebersbaught,  were,  as  we  shall  see 
hereafter,  of  considerable  service  in  obtaining  advantages 
over  the  enemy.  That  he  so  readily  obtained  the  ear  of 
this  nobleman  and  others,  must  be  ascribed  to  an  address 
of  peculiar  felicity.  The  English  friends  who  introduced 
him  could  scarcely  do  more  for  him  than  say  that  he  had 
seen  service,  and  had  experienced  many  vicissitudes.  As 
yet  he  could  boast  none  of  the  distinction  of  having  been 
a  leader  of  men.  He  had  served  a  valuable  apprentice 
ship  ;  it  was  now  for  the  first  time  that  he  was  to  reap  its 
fruits. 

Ebersbaught,  in  addition  to  the  evident  qualifications  of 
the  youth,  most  probably  saw  that  he  was  ingenuous, that 
he  did  not  belong  to  the  ordinary  class  of  military  adven 
turers.  It  was  a  real  passion  for  glory,  and  not  a  thirst 
after  spoil,  that  brought  him  at  that  doubtful  juncture  into 
Hungary.  Certainly,  as  we  have  shown,  no  moment 
could  have  been  more  unpromising  for  the  imperial  forces 
than  that  in  which  our  hero  joined  himself  to  the  regiment 
of  the  Earl  of  Meldritch — the  Imperialists,  defeated  in 
successive  actions,  their  strong  places  overthrown,  their 
country  ravaged,  the  Turk  growing  daily  more  confident 
and  strong,  and  Olympach,  greatly  shattered  by  the  be 
siegers,  cut  off  from  all  communication  with  its  friends, 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      S  M      T  H  35 

and  nearly  hopeless  of  succor  from  without.  The  forces 
appointed  for  its  relief,  under  the  Baron  Kisell,  a  general 
of  artillery,  were  inadequate  to  the  task  assigned  them, 
and  could  give  assistance  in  no  other  way  than  by  occa 
sionally  annoying  the  besiegers,  whenever  opportunity 
offered  for  preventing  them  from  obtaining  supplies,  or  by 
cutting  off'  a  detachment.  It  was  quite  too  feeble  to 
attempt  any  more  formidable  enterprise  against  the  mair 
body  of  the  besiegers.  The  regiment  of  Meldritch  formed 
a  part  of  this  command  of  Kisell,  and,  as  cavalry,  was  no 
doubt  actively  engaged  in  the  business  of  this  campaign, 
that  being  of  a  nature  particularly  to  commend  the  use  of 
horse.  Of  Smith's  share  in  this  business  he  tells  us  little. 
till  we  find  him  serving  as  a  volunteer  immediately  about 
the  person  of  the  baron.  That  he  had  proved  useful,  and 
had  succeeded  in  drawing  attention  to  himself,  may  be 
inferred  from  this  circumstance.  He  was  about  to  prove 
himself  more  useful  still.  In  the  straitened  condition  of 
Olympach,  Kisell  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  attempt 
something  in  concert  with  the  besieged  ;  but  how  to  effect 
this  simultaneous  operation  was  beyond  his  ingenuity. 
Communication  with  the  town  had  been  long  since  cut  off. 
The  Turks  in  vastly  superior  force  lay  between  them, 
and  closely  watched  as  was  the  place, with  an  army  of 
twenty  thousand  active  and  barbarous  enemies,  who 
were  never  known  to  spare,  it  was  not  possible  to  find  a 
soldier  sufficiently  daring  and  reckless  to  hazard  himself 
in  the  attempt  to  pass  the  cordon  which  their  vigilance 
maintained.  In  this  difficulty  Smith  came  to  the  relief  of 
his  commander.  He  reminded  him  that  among  the  nume 
rous  schemes  of  a  military  character,  which  he  had  com 
municated  to  Lord  Ebersbaught,  now  in  defence  of  Olym 
pach,  there  was  one  of  a  telegraphic  alphabet  by  which, 
with  signal  torches  corresponding  regularly  with  the  let- 


36  LIFE      C)F      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

ters  of  the  alphabet,  a  correspondence  might  be  carried  on 
between  persons  not  too  far  asunder  for  properly  detecting 
and  discriminating  the  lights.  This  scheme  of  a  telegraph, 
as  old  as  the  days  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  may  have 
been  picked  up  by  Smith  in  his  military  readings,  but  is 
by  no  means  too  intricate  for  his  own  unassisted  invention. 
The  fortunate  circumstance  was  that  he  should  have  com 
municated  it  to  Lord  Ebersbaught  among  his  "  projections" 
and  u  conclusions,"  without  entertaining  any  dis.inct  con 
ception  of  the  present  emergency,  by  which  its  usefulness 
was  to  be  determined.  The  hope  now  entertained  was 
that  Lord  Ebersbaught  would  sufficiently  renumber  the 
suggestion  to  comprehend  the  signals.  At  all  events, 
Smith  succeeded  in  persuading  Kisell  to  try  the  experi 
ment.  Seven  miles  distant  from  the  town  of  Olympach 
stood  a  mountain  of  considerable  elevation,  which  seemed 
to  our  hero  suited  for  his  purposes.  To  this  mountain  he 
conveyed  himself  with  the  necessary  agents  and  imple 
ments  by  night.  Here  he  first  displayed  three  signal  fires, 
equidistant  from  each  other.  These  drew  upon  him  the 
attention  of  the  garrison,  and  wji're  at  once  comprehended 
by  the  governor,  whose  wits,  sharpened  no  doubt  by  the 
emergency,  found  no  difficulty  in  recalling  the  scheme  as 
related  to  him  by  the  English  adventurer.  What  was  the 
joy  of  Smith  when  he  was  replied  to  by  three  torches 
from  the  walls  of  the  town,  showing  him  that  his  signals 
were  understood  !  The  rest  was  easy.  The  lights  were 
then  displayed  from  the  mountain  in  proper  order  so  as  to 
form  the  successive  words,  thus — 

"  On — Thursday — at — night — I — will — charge — on — the 
• — east — at — the — alarm — sally — you." 

The  answer  wras  immediate — "  I  will  !" — and  this  mat 
ter  thus  happily  adjusted,  Smith  returned  to  camp,  equally 
prepared  to  take  part  in  the  conflict,  and"  to  attempt  further 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  37 

ocheines  for  making  it  successful.  His  active  genius  con 
ceived  a  plan  for  remedying  the  inferior  numbers  of  the 
troops  under  Kisell ;  and  by  this  means  to  keep  in  such  a 
state  of  doubt  and  uncertainty  a  large  portion  of  the  be 
sieging  army,  as  to  prevent  them  taking  much  or  any  part 
in  the  battle.  The  Turks  were  divided  into  two  bodies, 
of  ten  thousand  men  each.  These  bodies  lay  apart,  sepa 
rated  by  a  river.  The  entire  force  of  Kisell  amounted 
only  to  ten  thousand.  To  fall  suddenly  upon  one  of  the 
Turkish  bodies,  and  to  restrain  the  other,  by  reason  of 
its  own  fears,  from  any  attempt  to  second  or  assist  it, 
was  the  desirable  object.  The  river  by  which  they  were 
separated  favored  the  scheme  of  Smith.  This  was  to 
prepare  some  "  two  or  three  thousand  pieces  of  match, 
fastened  to  divers  small  lines  of  an  hundred  fathom  iu 
length,  being  armed  with  powder,"  which  "might  all  be 
fired  and  stretched  at  an  instant,  before  the  alarm,  upon 
the  plaine  of  Hysnaburg,  supported  by  two  staves  at  each 
line's  end,  and  which  would  thus  seem  so  many  mus 
keteers."  This  scheme,  which  had  for  its  object  to  render 
vigilant  the  one  half  of  the  Turkish  army,  which  it  was 
not  intended  to  assail,  in  watching  the  imaginary  musket 
eers,  is  easily  comprehended. 

The  result  was  eminently  successful.  While  ten  thou 
sand  of  the  Turks,  wrholly  unendangered,  were  thus  plac 
ed  hors  de  combat,  waiting  anxiously  for  the  momentary 
charge  from  the  foe  that  had  no  existence  except  in  their 
fancies,  the  actual  warriors  of  Kisell,  with  Smith  among 
them,  were  penetrating  with  havoc  and  slaughter  among 
the  ten  thousand  that  lay  encamped  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river.  The  ruse  was  admirably  seconded  on  the 
part  of  the  garrison.  The  Turks,  bewildered  and  distract 
ed,  ran  to  and  fro,  without  concert  or  courage,  and  offer 
ing  no  effectual  opposition,  were  slaughtered  in  great num- 


38  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

bers.  More  than  a  third  of  the  ten  thousand  thus  at 
tacked,  were  slain  or  drowned  in  the  attempt  to  swim 
the  river  to  their  comrades,  who,  on  the  other  side, main 
tained  such  a  resolute  and  watchful  front  against  the 
imaginary  army,  as  most  effectually  to  discourage  its 
assault. 

The  result  was  a  triumphant  one  for  the  assailants 
Two  thousand  picked  soldiers  were  thrown  into  the  gar 
rison,  and  the  Turks,  hopeless  now  of  its  conquest,  retired 
in  disgrace  from  before  its  walls.  Our  hero  was  not  with 
out  his  recompense  for  his  share  in  an  achievement,  the 
success  of  which  was  due  so  largely  to  his  ingenuity  and 
skill.  He  received  a  command  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
horse  in  the  regiment  of  his  friend,  the  Earl  of  Meldritch, 
to  say  nothing  of  other  honors  and  rewards 


CHAPTER    IV. 

A  BRIEF  interregnum,  which  seemed  like  peace,  followed 
the  relief  of  Olympaeh,  to  be  succeeded  by  newer  and 
greater  preparations  for  the  war.  But  the  soul  and  intel 
lect  of  Smith  were  not  at  rest.  His  was  not  the  spirit  to 
which  repose  is  desirable  ;  but,  if  not  absolutely  in  action, 
contemplating  action  with  the  eye  of  his  imagination,  he 
was  perpetually  schooling  himself  for  its  vicissitudes. 
Never  was  mind  more  observant  than  his  of  the  progress 
and  condition  of  the  world  about  him.  His  narrative,  as 
a  volume  of  travels,  would  be  absolutely  worthless  to  the 
reader  who  seeks  for  anything  more  than  to  ascertain  the 
simple  fact  that  the  traveller  himself  had  been  an  observer. 
Of  this  there  can  be  no  question.  The  mind  of  Smith 
was  not  given  to  description,  and  disdained  details.  It 
was  of  a  sort  fond  of  generalization,  and  taking  in  at  a 
glance  all  the  vital  conditions  of  its  subject.  He  describes 
little,  but  you  see  that  he  comprehends.  He  gives  but 
a  few  words  to  the  manners  and  customs  of  a  people,  but 
you  see  in  these  words  that  he  conceives  and  appreciates 
them.  The  military  eye  of  our  hero  is  evidently 
keenly  exercised  in  all  the  countries  that  he  visits.  He 
comments  shrewdly  on  their  forts  and  garrisons,  on  their 
weapons  of  war,  their  training,  or  the  ease  or  difficulty 
with  which  their  strong  places  may  be  overthrown.  These 
notices,  sprinkled  over  all  his  pages,  show  the  source  of 
that  frequent  mental  provocation  by  which  the  resources 
of  his  own  genius  were  brought  into  exercise  and  develop 
ment.  They  show  him  watchful  and  shrewd,  not  easily 
persuaded  by  novelty,  not  easily  deceived  by  show — of  a 


40  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

calm,  clear  mind,  a  firm  spirit,  and  one  which,  if  it  has  not 
survived  its  youthful  enthusiasm,  is  at  least  no  longer 
to  be  deluded  by  it. 

It  was  in  busy  study  and  contemplatior  that  Smith  em 
ployed  the  interregnum  following  the  relief  of  Olympach, 
and  the  resumption  of  the  actual  event,;  of  war.  The 
campaign  opened  early  in  the  year.  The  levies  of  the 
Turks  were,  prosecuted  with  unwearieu  diligence  and 
activity,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  three  large  bodies  of 
troops  were  raised  by  the  emperor.  One  of  these  was 
commanded  by  the  Archduke  Mathias  ;  one  by  Ferdi 
nand,  Archduke  -of  Styria  ;  and  a  third  by  Gonzago, 
governor  of  Hungary.  The  lieutenant  of  the  Archduke 
Mathias  was  the  Duke  Mercury  (Mercceur),  wrho  led  a 
force  of  thirty  thousand  men,  ten  thousaH  of  whom  were 
French.  Smith  served  in  this  division,  still  under  the 
immediate  command  of  the  Earl  of  MeUritch.  To  Ma 
thias  was  given  the  defence  of  Lower  Hungary,  and  the 
Duke  Mercury  began  the  campaign  vigorously  by  laying 
siege  to  Alba  Regalis,  a  strongly  fortified  town  in  posses 
sion  of  the  Turks,  and  considered  in  thai  day  almost  im 
pregnable.  Here  Smith's  talents  as  an  engineer  were  put 
in  requisition  ;  and  here  we  again  find  nun  counselling 
novel  inventions  in  war,  by  which  to  obtain  unusual  advan 
tages.  He  suggested  to  the  Earl  of  Meldritch  the  em 
ployment  of  a  sort  of  shell,  which,  filled  with  combustible 
matter,  was  discharged  from  a  sling.  These  were  called 

t  O  O 

"  Fiery  Dragons"  by  their  inventor,  who  describes  them 
as  "  round-bellied  earthen  pots,"  filled  with  "  hard  gun 
powder  and  musket  bullets,"  and  covered  with  a  coating 
of  brimstone,  pitch,  and  turpentine.  His  plan  was  favora 
bly  entertained.  He  was  permitted  to  try  ihe  experiment, 
which  he  did  successfully.  Having  first  learned  from 
spies  and  deserters,  or  prisoners  escaped  from  the  town, 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  41 

in  what  quarters  it  was  usual  for  great  numbers  of  people 
to  assemble  on  occasions  of  alarm,  his  bombs,  or  hand- 
grenades,  to  the  number  of  forty  or  fifty,  were  flung;  at 
midnight  into  the  city,  directed  to  those  places  where  the 
greatest  crowds  were  likely  to  be  brought  together.  "  It 
was  a  fearful  sight,"  says  Smith,  "  to  see  the  short  flam 
ing  course  of  their  flight  in  the  air ;  but,  presently  after 
their  fall,  the  lamentable  noise  of  the  miserable  slaughtered 
Turkes  was  most  wonderful  to  heare."  These  combusti 
bles  had  the  farther  effect  of  firing  the  suburbs,  "  which 
so  troubled  the  Turkes  to  quench,  that  had  there  beene 
any  means  to  have  assaulted  them,  they  could  hardly  have 
resisted  the  fire  and  their  enemies."  The  Turks  fought 
bravely,  nevertheless,  making  frequent  sallies,  and  doing 
very  slaughterous  deeds  whenever  they  came  forth.  But 
valor  did  not  avail  them.  The  place  was  finally  taken  by 
a  bold  and' well  executed  manoeuvre,  which  gave  to  the 
besiegers  possession  of  the  city.  The  bashaw  by  whom 
it  was  defended  was  faithful  to  his  trust.  Desperately 
fighting,  and  disputing  every  inch  of  ground  with  the 
assailants,  he  drew  together  a  select  body  of  five  hundred 
men  before  his  own  palace,  resolved  in  perishing  to  sell 
his  life  dearly.  The  conflict  was  a  terrible  one.  The 
Turks  were  almost  cut  to  pieces,  and  the  bashaw  saved  in 
m's  own  spite  by  the  Eail  of  Meldritch,  who,  with  his 
own  hands,  protected  him  from  the  fury  of  his  troops. 
This  city  had  been  in  possession  of  the  Moslem  for  sixty 
years.  They  valued  it  accordingly.  An  army  of  sixty 
thousand  men,  under  Hassan  Bashaw,  had  been  sent  to  its 
relief  at  the  beginning  of  the  siege,  and  was  rapidly  press 
ing  forward  when  the  news  of  its  conquest  was  received. 
This  did  not  arrest  the  march  of  the  Turkish  army.  Trw* 
loss  of  Alba  Regalis  was  a  severe  stroke,  seriously  felt  at 
the  beginning  of  the  campaign,  and  a  subject  of  deep  mor 


42  LIFE      OF      CAP  TAIN     SMITH. 

tification  with  the  Turks.  Hassan  Bashaw  was  disposed 
to  risk  much  for  its  recovery.  Pressing  forward  with  all 
his  energy,  it  was  his  hope  to  surprise  the  army  of  the 
Imperialists  before  they  could  well  repair  the  (breaches  in 
the  walls.  He  was  mistaken  in  this  expectation.  The 
Duke  Mercury  had  promptly  provided  for  the  defence  of 
the  place  ;  and,  apprised  of  the  undisciplined  and  inferior 
character  of  the  Turkish  levies,  he  adopted  the  bold  deter 
mination  of  marching  out  with  twenty  thousand  men  to 
meet  them.  The  two  armies  encountered  on  the  plains  of 
Girke.  The  battle  was  joined  upon  the  march,  regiment 
after  regiment  mingling  in  the  melee  as  they  severally  came 
upon  the  ground.  The  conflict  was  obstinate  and  bloody. 
If  the  Moslems  lacked  discipline  there  was  no  deficiency 
of  valor,  and  valor  makes  so  large  an  element  of  success 
ful  warfare,  that  it  wrill  not  do  to  overlook  or  disregard  it 
when  estimating  the  resources  of  a  foe.  Besides,  the 
Turks  were  thrice  the  number  of  the  Christians.  Disci 
pline  at  length  prevailed,  after  a  long  and  murderous  strug 
gle.  The  skill  and  practised  valor  of  the  forces  of  Duke 
Mercury  more  than  supplied  the  deficiency  of  number,  and 
with  equal  courage  and  bravery  effectually  baffled  that  of 
the  foe.  The  battle  closed  only  with  the  night,  nor  wa» 
the  affair  then  concluded,  since,  as  it  has  been  said  of  th< 
British  in  recent  times,  the  Turk  did  not  know  when  h/ 
was  beaten.  The  affair  was  destined  to-  be  resumed  with 
the  beginning  of  another  day. 

Smith  approved  his  valor  in  the  conflict,  was  wounded, 
and  had  his  horse  shot  under  him.  But  he  was  not  the 
warrior  to  be  content  with  this,  and  to  remain  dismounted 
when  there  were  so  many  noble  steeds  running  masterless 
around  him.  He  was  soon  supplied  with  the  means  of 
renewing  his  labors  in  a  field,  in  which  his  ardent  and 
fearless  spirit  found  so  much  to  delight  him.  The  wound 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  43 

of  Smith  in  this  action  he  calls  a  sore  one.  Nothing  is 
said  of  the  part  which  he  took  in  the  final  assault  when 
Alba  Regalis  was  carried  ;  yet  if  we  recollect  that  the 
last  desperate  struggle  with  the  governor  took  place 
with  the  troops  under  the  immediate  command  of  the  Earl 
of  Meldritch,  we  have  every  reason  to  conclude  that  our 
hero  had  his  share  in  the  worst  dangers  of  that  bloody 
conflict. 

Night,  which  separated  the  combatants  on  the  plains  of 
Girke,  left  the  affair  still  doubtful.  But  the  Turks  thought 
otherwise.  Hassan  Bashaw  was  a  brave  man,  and  had 
the  most  perfect  Moslem  faith  in  the  sword  and  doctrines 
of  Mohammed.  Flattering  himself  that  the  Christians 
were  wholly  in  his  clutches,  he  committed  the  gross  mili 
tary  error  of  detaching  twenty  thousand  of  his  men,  and 
sending  them  off*  to  begin  the  leaguer  of  that  town  which 
he  had  been  marching  to  relieve.  He  proposed  to  finish 
the  affair  with  Duke  Mercury  the  next  day  with  the  forces 
which  remained.  Never  was  general  more  mistaken.  He 
failed  in  both  his  objects.  The  precautions  which  the 
Duke  had  taken  before  leaving  Alba  Regalis,  in  providing 
amply  for  its  safety,  without  regard  to  his  movements  or 
fate,  enabled  the  garrison  to  beat  off  and  baffle  the  assail 
ants.  The  situation  of  the  Duke  himself  was  much  more 
hazardous.  With  the  return  of  daylight  the  generals  of 
both  armies  opened  their  eyes  with  an  increased  respect 
for  each  other,  and  each  proceeded  to  intrench  himself 
where  he  lay,  under  sight  of  his  enemy.  Thus  they  lay 
for  two  or  three  days,  the  precautions  of  the  Imperialists 
being  rather  greater  than  those  of  the  Turks,  as  was  pro 
per  to  their  inferior  numbers.  By  the  latter  they  were 
frequently  taunted  with  their  weakness,  and  defied  to  come 
from  behind  their  trenches.  These  provocations  finally 
goaded  them  to  the  encounter.  The  Christians  were  led 


44  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

out  by  the  Rhinegrave,  by  Culnitz,  and  Meldritch,  in 
throe  bodies.  The  struggle  was  a  short  one.  The  Turks 
were  driven  to  the  cover  of  their  intrenchments,  with  a 
loss  of  six  thousand  men  ;  the  Imperialists  forbearing  to 
press  their  advantage,  because  of  the  sudden  appearance 
of  a  large  body  of  troops,  coining  from  an  unexpected 
quarter.  The  success  thus  obtained,  while  it  lessened  the 
Turkish  appetite  for  a  renewal  of  the  game,  did  not  increase 
the  courage  of  the  Christians.  We  are  not  told  of  their 
losses  in  the  two  conflicts  which  had  already  taken  place  ; 
nor  of  the  character  of  that  body  of  men,  whose  sudden 
appearance  in  the  midst  of  the  last  battle  prevented  Duke 
Mercury  from  pressing  his  advantage  to  a  final  victory. 
In  all  probability  there  were  good  reasons  in  his  own 
weakness  for  this  forbearance.  Thus  intrenched,  the  two 
armies  lay  watching  each  other  for  some  days  more,  until 
at  length,  growing  impatient,  or  hopeless  of  any  good 
result  from  longer  delay,  Hassan  Bashaw  broke  up  his 
camp,  and  retired  from  his  trenches  ;  the  Imperialists 
hanging  upon  his  march,  and  assailing  his  rear  frequently 
and  with  success.  The  Turks  fled  to  Buda,  and  the  Duke 
divided  his  army  into  three  parts.  One  of  these  divisions, 
consisting  of  six  thousand  men,  was  given  to  the  Earl  of 
Meldritch,  who  was  sent  to  assist  George  Busca  against 
the  Transylvanians.  With  this  division  went  our  adven 
turer,  and  to  its  fortunes  we  must  confine  our  attention. 
Our  notice  of  the  history  of  the  country,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  will  be  confined  to  such  glimpses  only  as  are  neces 
sary  to  a  proper  comprehension  of  the  part  taken  by  Smith, 
and  the  relation  to  public  events  in  which  each  occurrence; 
finds  him.  Transylvania  at  this  period  was  assailed  by 
very  different  enemies.  Sigismund  Bathor,  the  native 
prince  of  the  country,  was  contending  with  the  Emperor 
of  Germany  on  one  hand,  and  with  the  Turks  on  the 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  45 

other,  who  were  the  deadly  enemies  of  both.  While  the 
latter  were  the  invaders  of  his  land,  the  former  was  am 
bitious  of  its  sovereignty.  Meldritch  had  been  sent 
against  Sigismund,  but  being  a  native  of  Transylvania,  he 
preferred  serving  the  native  prince  to  the  invader.  He 
was  perhaps  the  more  readily  persuaded  to  this,  as  he  found 
Sigismund  already  in  possession  of  the  best  footholds  of  the 
country.  He  did  not  find  it  difficult  to  divert  the  arms  of 
his  followers  into  the  direction  which  he  himself  proposed 
to  take  ;  particularly,  indeed,  as  he  could  urge  upon  them 
the  better  booty  to  be  won  from  the  Turks,  than  that 
which  could  possibly  be  gleaned  from  the  poor  natives. 
his  countrymen.  The  Emperor  had  not  been  a  very  good 
paymaster,  and  this  was  another  argument  easily  per 
suading  to  a  change  of  service.  Besides,  why  fight 
against  Christians,  when  the  Turkish  enemies  were  before 
them,  at  once  the  foes  of  their  country  and  their  faith  ? 
A  war,  too,  carried  on  against  these,  was  a  war  in  favor 
of  both  of  the  Christian  princes,  though  they  might  be 
contending  in  deadly  hate  against  each  other.  We  can 
not  reproach  the  Earl  of  Meldritch  and  his  followers  with 
their  change. of  service.  Smith,  certainly,  had  neither 
moral  nor  social  obligations  to  adhere  to  the  banner  of 
the  Germans.  Nay,  to  have  done  so,  in  carrying  war 
into  Transylvania,  would  have  been  on  his  part  a  gross 
offence  against  society  and  morals.  His  own  previous 
convictions  would  have  denounced  him,  as  he  had  long 
since  "  repented  and  lamented  to  have  seene  so  many 
Christians  slaughter  one  another ;"  and  he  had  sought  the 
army  of  the  Imperialists,  with  the  express  desire  to  "  trie 
his  fortune  against  the  Turkes." 

He  was  still  to  enjoy  th»  pleasure.  Sigisrnund  was  very 
well  pleased  to  obtain  the  services  of  a  captain  so  brave 
and  well  experienced  as  Meldritch,  and  readily  consented 


46  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

that  he  should  endeavor  to  drive  the  Turks  out  of  hi* 
country.  It  so  happened  that  they  held  possession  of 
those  very  portions  of  Transylvania  in  which*  the  earl's 
family  estates  were  situated.  His  motives  were  therefore 
quite  as  personal  as  patriotic.  He  began  his  career  with 
his  wonted  vigor. 


CHAPTER    V. 

IN  the  campaign  which  followed,  Smith  was  employed  in  8 
manner  which  must  have  afforded  him  an  excellent  train 
ing  for  his  fulure  career  among  our  North  American  In 
dians.     The  country,  in  which  its  operations  were  to  take 
place,  was  one  equally  wild  and  savage  in  its   natural  and 
social  aspects.     The  greatest    trials  of  strength  were  to 
be    found     in   regions  which   to   ordinary  courage  would 
have    seemed    inaccessible.       In   these    regions    had    the 
Turks  planted  their  stronghold.     They  occupied  the  rocky 
mountains  of  Zarham,  and  ravaged  the   tributary  plains 
and  valleys.     Over  these  wild  and  stony  passes,  in  regions 
possessed  by  herds  of  bandits  and  renegades  of  an  ut-scrip- 
tions,  Turks  and  Tartars — a  people  not   so  much  Turks  as 
outlaws — not  so  much  men  as  savages — the  troops  of  Mel- 
dritch  must  make  their  way  to  get   at  their  enemies.,  and 
gain  possession  of  his  estates.     They  had  to  contend  with 
a  people  practised  in  guerilla  or   partisan  warfare — a  war 
fare    more   than    all    others   calculated  to    draw    out    the 
resources  of  military  genius,  to  stimulate  ingenuity  and  acti 
vity,  and  prompt  courage  to  feats  of  the  greatest  audacity. 
Meldritch   knew  the  country,  and  was  by  no  means  igno 
rant  of  its  difficulties.     He  soon  brought  his   troops  to  an 
acquaintance  with  the  predatory  warriors  by  whom  it  was 
possessed.     These  were    sought   and  pressed,  and    with 
daily  and  unremitting  industry.     Gradually,  they  yielded 
before  his  arms,  and  left  him  in  possession  of  the  plains. 
They  had  their  cities  in  the  mountains,  and  to  these  they 
retired  from  before  the  presence  of  the  foe.     To  one  of 
these,  as  utterly  impregnable,  they  ascended  when  they 


4-8  LIFE      OF      CAP  T  A   I   N       S  M  I  T  II  . 

could  no  longer  find  safety  below.  This  was  the  city  of 
Regall,  a  place  of  great  natural  strength,  to  which  the 
military  art  of  the  day  had  added  suitable  fortifications. 
Kegall  was  full  of  men,  and  so  placed  among  the  moun 
tains,  at  one  side  only  accessible,  that  nothing  but  the  most 
extraordinary  perseverance  and  courage  would  ever  think 
of  subduing  it.  But  these  were  the  very  qualities  which 
the  Earl  of  Meldritch  brought  against  it.  He  had  been 

O  O 

twenty  years  a  soldier,  was  full  of  resources,  and  had  under 
him   no  doubt  many  adventurers  who,  like   Smith,  could 
contribute   to  his   success  at  the  perilous   moment  by  ori 
ginal  expedients  in  arms.      He  had   much  at  stake   in  the 
enterprise,  and  he  approached  it   cautiously.      His  exami 
nation  of  Regall,  of  its  approaches,  strength  and  general 
characteristics,  was  thorough  and  satisfactory.      He  began 
the  siege  with  the   opening  of  spring.     "The  earthe  no 
sooner  put  oa  her  greene  habit,"  says   Smith,  "  than  the 
earl  overspread    her  with   his  armed  troops."     Meldritch 
proceeded  as  he  had  begun,  with  great  energy.     He  strove 
in  the  face  of  a  thousand  difficulties.      His  ordnance  was 
to  be  carried  up  through  narrow  passes  of  the  mountains, 
in  which  he  was  liable  to  capital  misfortune  at  any  moment, 
unless    watched  by  vigilance  and  the  most  ready  courage 
A  race  of  active  mountaineers,  familiar  with  the  country, 
and   practised  in   the  sort   of  warfare  which   it  requires, 
might   long   succeed   in  baffling   an  invader  of  ten  times 
their  numbers.     The  banditti  in  possession  of  the  moun 
tain  were  not  prepared  to  forego   the  advantages  of  their 
position,  and  every  step  on  the  part  of  the  assailants  was 
distinguished    by  conflicts   which  were    equally  obstinate 
and   bloody.      But  perseverance,  which  is  moral   courage 
of  a  distinguished  order,  co-operating  with  that  of  ordinary 
valor,  and  seconded  by  experience  and  skill,  succeeded  in 
arraying  the   force   of  the   Christians  on  the   table  of  the 


L  [  F  E      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  49 

mountain,  and  in  front  of  Regall.  The  defenders  of  the 
city,  apprised  in  season  of  the  attempt  against  that  place, 
had  lined  its  walls  with  soldiers,  and  stored  it  abundantly, 
as  well  with  provisions  as  with  the  munitions  and  imple 
ments  of  war.  Confiding  in  the  strength  of  the  place, 
thrir  own  numbers  and  courage,  and  the  ample  supplies 
which  they  possessed  for  maintaining  the.  siege,  they 
laughed  to  scorn  the  attempts  of  the  assailant.  The  seem 
ingly  feeble  force  brought  against  them — for  the  whole 
army  of  Meldritch  did  not  exceed  eight  thousand  me-n — 
seemed  lo  justify  the  contempt  which  they  expressed. 
But  they  were  soon  taught  another  language.  Kven  with 
this  small  army  he  succeeded  in  all  the  skirmishes  in 
which  they  met,  and  had  fully  beleaguered  them  within 
the  walls  of  Regall  before  he  was  joined  by  the  forces  of 
Prince  Moyses,  nine  thousand  in  number.  To  him,  the 
chief  command  was  Surrendered. 

The  preparations  of  the  besiegers  were  now  deliberately 
made.  These  were  to  secure  them  in  the  position  which 
they  had  won.  It  occupied  near  a  month  before  they 
were  able  to  intrench  themselves  fully,  and  to  plant  their 
batteries.  The  slowness  of  these  proceedings  increased 
the  courage  of  the  Turks.  They  were  amused  rather 
than  alarmed  by  that  deliberation,  which  was  in  truth  the 
strongest  proof  of  their  danger.  With  a  blind  confidence 
in  their  numbers  and  the  strength  of  their  walls,  they 
derided  the  besiegers  with  frequent  messages  of  scorn  and 
defiance.  One  of  these  messages  was  of  the  very  charac 
ter  best  adapted  to  provoke  the  more  chivalrous  per 
sons  in  the  Christian  army,  as  it  mingled  the  lofty  tone 
and  temper  of  chivalry  with  the  insolence  of  inflated  self 
esteem.  It  roused  an  individual  spirit  in  the  besiegers. 
It  reproached  them  with  their  inactivity — said  that  they 
grew  fat  for  lack  of  exercise  ;  and — expressing  a  fear  lest 


50  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

they  should  suddenly  depart  from  the  city  without  affording 
any  pastime  to  the  ladies  thereof, — proposed  a  defiance  from 
the  Lord  Turbishaw  to  any  captain  having  the  command 
of  a  company.  The  head  of  the  vanquished,  with  all  that 
he  possessed,  was  to  be  at  the  mercy  of  the  conqueror 
The  challenge  was  after  the  fashion  of  knightly  times,  am 
these  had  not  entirely  gone  out  of  the  memories  of  men 
The  very  motive  to  the  offer — "  to  delight  the  ladies,  who 
did  long  to  see  some  courtlike  pastime,"  partook  largely 
of  the  best  spirit  of  the  Middle  Ages.  There  were  not 
wanting  numerous  brave  captains  in  the  Christian  army 
whose  hearts  bounded  to  the  acceptance  of  the  challenge 
with  the  eagerness  of  the  ancient  war-steed,  stirred  sud 
denly  by  the  onset  sounds  of  the  trumpet  ;  and  but  a 
single  mode  was  left  of  deciding  upon  the  champion — that 
of  casting  lots  for  the  noble  privilege.  We  need  not  say 
that  Smith  was  among  the  claimants,  and  that  special  for 
tune  befriended  him.  The  ballot  upon  which  his  name 
was  written  was  the  first  to  present  itself;  as  if  the  watch 
ful  fate,  for  ever  heedful  of  her  favorite,  had  snatched 
for  him  the  golden  opportunity  for  fame. 

The  preparations  for  the  combat  were  as  great  as  the 
anxieties  for  the  issue  were  lively.  A  truce  was  made 
between  the  opposing  armies,  in  order  to  the  completion 
of  am  Moments  for  this  event;  and  as  both  parties  pos 
sessed  a  very  equal  knowledge  of  the  sort  of  state  which 
should  distinguish  such  proceedings,  the  affair  absolutely 
recalls  very  vividly  to  the  mind  the  great  jousts  and 
solemn  tournaments  which  characterized  the  famous  deeds 
of  knighthood,  as  they  were  practised  a  hundred  years 
before.  On  the  day  appointed  for  the  combat  the  Chris 
tians  were  drawn  out  in  battle  array,  making  the  most 
lavish  display  of  banners,  trophies,  and  heraldic  insignia  , 
while  the  ramparts  of  the  town  were  covered  with  fair 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  51 

ladies,  and  men  glittering  in  armor.  The  Turkish  dames 
in  these  regions  seem  not  to  have  shrunk  from  a  display 
of  their  persons  to  the  eyes  of  infidels,  as  they  were  com 
pelled  to  do  in  the  more  central  cities  of  their  religion. 
Living  on  the  borders  of  a  Christiai  land,  some  of  their 
social  habits  might  naturally  enough  I  e  modified  by  famili 
arity  with  the  customs  of  their  neighbors. 

The  Turkish  challenger,  as  in  duty  bound,  first  made 
his  appearance  on  the  field.  A  "  noise  of  howboys" 
announced  his  coming  and  his  presence.  His  entree  was 
calculated  to  rivet  the  attention,  and  compel  admiration. 
He  was  well  mounted,  and  clad  in  a  suit  of  splendid  armor. 
"  On  his  shoulders  were  fixed  a  paire  of  great  wings,  com 
pacted  of  eagle's  feathers,  within  a  ridge  of  silver,  richly 
garnished  with  gold  and  precious  stones."  Three  Jani 
zaries  attended  him  ;  one  going  before  and  bearing  his 
lance,  the  two  others  walking  beside  him  and  conducting 
his  horse  to  the  station  which  was  assigned  him.  Such 
was  the  proud  entrance  and  imposing  aspect  of  the  Turk 
ish  champion.  That  of  Smith  was  far  less  showy.  It 
does  not  appear  that  he  wore  any  but  his  ordinary  armor, 
or  that  he  had  any  other  to  wear.  We  have  reason  to 
suppose,  however,  that  he  was  not  regardless  of  his  per 
sonal  appearance ;  particularly  as  he  was  to  fight  in  the 
presence  of  the  ladies.  That  they  were  pagan  dames  did 
not  lessen  his  respect  for  the  sex  ;  and,  if  the  truth  were 
written,  he  was  more  than  usually  solicitous  of  his  toilet 
on  that  day.  That  he  donned  his  best  surcoat,  that  he 
selected  his  most  showy  scarf  and  plumage,  we  may  con 
jecture  with  sufficient  safety.  But  he  was  no  carpet 
knight.  He  did  not  keep  the  Turkish  champion  waiting. 
He  rode  into  the  field  with  a  flourish  of  trumpets,  attended 
by  a  page  bearing  his  lance, — passed  his  foe  with  a  cour 
teous  salute,  and  gracefully  wheeled  into  the  position 


52  LIFE      OP      CAPTAIN     SMITH 

which  was  designated  for  him.  There  was  no  delay.  At 
the  sound  of  the  trumpet  the  combatants  rushed  into  the 
deadly  embrace  of  the  strife,  and  the  encounter  was  ended 
with  the  single  shock,  and  almost  as  soon  as  it  had  begun. 
So  admirably  true  was  the  aim,  so  firm  the  nerves  of  the 
Christian  champion,  and  so  well  trained  his  steed,  that  the 
lance  of  Smith  penetrated  the  beaver  of  the  Turk,  am] 
passing  through  his  eye  into  the  brain,  he  fell  dead  to  the 
ground  at  the  first  thrust,  without  so  much  as  grazing  the 
person  of  his  conqueror.  Smith  leapt  to  the  ground,  un 
braced  the  helmet  of  his  enemy,  and  finding  him  lifeless, 
smote  off  his  head,  which  he  bore  away  in  triumph  to  the 
Christian  host.  The  body  of  Turbishaw  was  delivered  to 
his  friends.  The  spoils  of  war  necessarily  became  the 
property  of  the  victor. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

WE  may  imagine  the  exultation  in  the  camp  of  the  Chris 
tians,  and  the  good  auguries  of  future  triumph  which  were 
conveyed  by  so  gallant  a  beginning.  The  hero  was  met 
by  the  army  with  a  shout  of  general  welcome.  In  just  the 
same  degree  was  the  mortification  of  the  good  people  of 
Regall.  Sorely  did  they  lament  the  fall  of  their  cham 
pion,  and  sadly,  we  may  suppose}  did  the  u  faire  dames'7 
of  the  city  sigh  as  they  thought  upon  the  delightful  pastime 
which  was  made  for  them  by  the  Cbristian,Smith.  But  the 
chief  mourner  in  Regallwas  one  Grualgo,  the  bosom  friend 
of  Turbishaw,  and  a  fierce  and  powerful  warrior.  In  the 
first  paroxysm  of  his  grief  and  fury  he  despatched  a  special 
message  to  the  conqueror,  proposing  his  own  head  a,* 
the  stake  for  the  recovery  of  his  friend's.  To  make  the 
bait  the  more  tempting  to  our  champion,  his  horse  and 
armor  were  also  proposed  as  pledges  upon  the  issue.  It 
need  scarcely  be  said  that,  flushed  with  one  victory,  and 
having  full  confidence  in  his  own  prowess,  Smith  was  ready 
to  seek  the  chances  for  another.  The  challenge  was  prompt 
ly  accepted.  Nothing,  indeed,  could  have  been  more 
agreeable  to  our  hero.  It  is  true,  he  had  given  the  head 
of  Turbishaw  to  Prince  Moyses,  who  had  "  kindly  accept 
ed  it,"  but  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  prince  would 
gladly  risk  his  prize  with  the  expectation  of  getting  that 
of  Grualgo  also  for  his  collection.  There  were  no  diffi 
culties  in  the  way  of  the  arrangement,  the  field  was  pre 
pared  as  before,  and  the  ensuing  day  was  appointed  for  the 
combat. 

The  walls  of  Regall  were  again  covered  with  spectators. 


54  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

The  fair  and  the  brave  once  more  came  forth  with  mingled 
feelings  of  delight,  expectation  and  anxiety — pride,  and 
hope,  and  apprehension,  duly  mingling  in  their  bosoms, 
according  to  the  temper  of  the  individual.  Grualgo  entered 
as  his  friend  had  done,  with  a  noise  of  hautboys  ;  Smith, 
as  before,  with  a  flourish  of  trumpets.  The  sound  of  the 
trumpet  gave  the  signal  for  the  combat.  At  the  first  pas 
sage  the  lances  of  the  combatants  flew  into  pieces  ;  but, 
while  the  Turk  was  nearly  unhorsed  in  the  encounter, 
Smith  kept  his  seat  as  if  he  had  grown  to  the  saddle. 
The  splintered  spears  were  thrown  aside,  and  seizing  their 
pistols,  shots  were  instantly  exchanged  between  the  par 
ties.  At  the  first  shot  Smith  was  slightly  wounded,  and 
Grualgo  escaped  unhurt.  In  the  second,  the  latter  was 
less  fortunate.  His  left  arm  was  shattered,  and  his  horse 
became  unmanageable.  In  this  plight  he  was  thrown  to  the 
ground,  and  lay  at  the  mercy  of  the  conqueror.  The  age 
was  not  favorable  to  much  forbearance  in  such  cases,  nor 
had  the  terms  of  courtesy  between  the  contending  armies 
been  of  such  a  sort  as  to  render  the  want  of  pity  a  reproach 
to  either  from  the  other.  Besides,  the  Turk  had  staked  his 
head  with  a  full  knowledge  of  all  the  dangers,  and  having 
the  fate  of  Turbishaw  before  him.  Smith  had  voluntarily 
subjected  himself  to  the  same  risk,  and  this  he  scarcely 
would  have  done,  but  with  a  view  to  his  obtaining  all  the 
profits  of  his  risk.  The  conditions  of  the  field  seem  to 
have  been  inevitable,  and  leaping  to  the  ground,  the  con 
queror  smote  off  the  head  of  Grualgo  as  effectually  as 
he  had  done  that  of  Turbishaw.  Head,  horse  and  armor 
remained  his  trophies.  The  body,  he  is  careful  to  tell 
us,  with  all  its  rich  apparel,  was  sent  back  to  the  city. 
Our  champion  took  nothing  more  than  he  had  a  perfect 
right  to  take. 

These  were  severe  strokes  to  the  defenders  of  Regall. 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  55 

We  have  every  reason  to  suppose  that  Turbishuw  andGru- 
algo  were  their  very  bravest  champions.  No  more  chal 
lenges  were  sent  from  that  city.  The  desire  among  the 
Turkish  warriors  of  delighting  the  ladies  of  the  place  with 
such  courtlike  pastimes  seemed  fairly  at  an  end,  and  the 
chivalry  of  both  parties  was  now  exercised  in  daily  conflicts 
of  a  more  general  nature.  The  Turks  made  frequent  sal 
lies,  but  did  not  long  wait  for  the  skirmishes  they  pro 
voked.  "  They  would  not  endure,"  says  Smith,  "  to  any 
purpose."  They  had,  by  this  time,  tested  sufficiently  the 
superior  prowess  of  their  assailants,  and  their  sorties  had 
no  other  object  than  to  divert  or  retard  the  operations  of 
the  leaguer,  of  which  they  may  reasonably  have  begun 
to  be  more  apprehensive  than  at  the  beginning  of  the  cam 
paign.  These  operations  were  of  a  character  too  slow  and 
tedious  for  the  temper  of  Smith.  The  approaches  were 
left  to  unskilful  engineers,  and  the  progress  to  the  con 
summation  of  the  event  was  too  unpromising  to  satisfy  the 
impatient  and  ambitious  nature  of  our  champion.  Burning 
for  some  new  occasion  for  displaying  his  skill  and  spirit, 
he  determined  to  take  the  initiative  in  a  new  attempt  to 
delight  and  amuse  the  ladies.  "  With  many  incontradicti- 
ble  persuading  reasons"  u  to  delude  time,"  Smith  obtained 
leave  from  his  commander  to  send  a  message  of  defiance 
into  the  town.  It  was  couched,  however,  in  language  of 
particular  courtesy,  as  being  addressed  to  the  ladies  of 
Regall  themselves.  He  begged  to  assure  them  that  he 
was  not  so  much  enamored  of  the  heads  of  their  servants 
in  his  possession,  but  that  he  was  ready  to  restore  them 
upon  proper  terms,  and  he  invited  them  to  send  forth  some 
other  champion  who  would  risk  his  own  to  recover  them. 
Smith  concluded  by  declaring  himself  willing  that  his  head 
should  accompany  th^  others,  if  their  champion  was  pre 
pared  to  take  it. 


56  11  F  £      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

Thus  addressed,  it  became  a  point  of  honor  with  the 
gallants  of  Regail  that  the  ladies  should  not  lack  a  cham 
pion.  The  challenge  of  the  Christian  was  accepted  with 
suiiicient  promptness  by  a  brave  fellow,  whose  u  me  in 
our  English  orthography  does  not  create  the  impression  of 
any  very  formidable  personage.  How  it  would  look  and 
sound  in  Turkish  costume  is  beyond  our  conjecture 
Bonny  Mulgro — thus  written  by  Smith — M-as  the  name  of 
the  third  champion  sent  forth  from  Regail.  He  came  only 
to  add  a  third  lo  the  trophies  of  our  here  The  arrange- 

I  O 

ments  were  made  for  the  ensuing  day. 

The  combatants  entered  the  field  as  in  the  previous 
instances,  and  under  like  auspices — the  day  fine,  and  the 
camp  of  the  Christians,  and  the  entire  population  of  Re- 
gall,  turning  out  to  behold  the  issue.  But  there  was  one 
difference  in  the  arrangements  which  had  like  to  have 
brought  about  an  important  difference  in  the  result.  The 
choice  of  weapons  being  \vith  the  challenged  party,  taking 
counsel  from  the  fate  of  his  predecessors,  he  declined  hav 
ing  anything  to  do  with  the  lance,  of  which  weapon  Smith 
had  shown  himself  a  perfect  master.  (How  much  of  this 
mastery  did  he  owe  to  his  practice  when  playing  hermit 
in  the  woods  of  Lincoln  ?)  Bonny  Mulgro  chose  the 
pistol,  the  battle-axe,  and  falchion  ;  in  the  use  of  which 
weapons,  particularly  in  that  of  the  battle-axe,  he  was 
more  than  commonly  a  proficient.  The  combat  honored 
his  discretion,  and  had  nearly  resulted  in  his  victory.  At 
the  sound  of  the  trumpet  the  combatants  rapidly  darted 
upon  each  other,  discharging  their  pistols  as  they  drew 
nigh.  No  damage  having  been  done  by  these  weapons, 
they  were  thrown  aside,  and  a  close  and  severe  combat 
followed  \vith  the  battle-axe.  For  some  time  the  strife 
was  doubtful.  Sound  strokes  were  given  on  both  hides, 
•'ith  such  hearty  good  will,  and  such  imperfect  defence, 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  57 

as  to  leave  neither  of  them  scarce  sense  enough — so  Smith 
tells  us — to  keep  their  saddles.  At  length,  however,  the 
Turk  succeeded  in  giving  his  antagonist  a  blow  so  severe 
as  to  deprive  him  of  his  battle-axe.  At  the  sight  of  this 
advantage  gained  by  their  champion,  the  people  of  Regall 
set  up  such  a  shout  as  shook  their  ramparts.  This,  while 
it  encouraged  Bonny  Mulgro  to  do  his  utmost,  may  be 
supposed  to  have  stung  his  opponent  into  a  full  recovery 
of  his  senses — never  more  necessary  to  him  than  just  at 
that  moment.  He  did  recover  them.  It  was  very  fortu 
nate  for  him  that  he  was  so  efficient  a  horseman.  It  was 
only  by  the  dexterous  management  of  his  steed  that  he 
succeeded  for  some  time  in  avoiding  the  blows  hailed-upon 
him  by  his  enemy.  Smith  is  not  unwilling  to  share  some 
of  the  merit  with  his  horse,  whose  "  readinesse"  he  eulo 
gizes,  while  insisting  upon  his  own  "  judgment  and  dex 
terity  in  such  a  businesse."  It  was  beyond  the  expecta 
tion  of  all  the  spectators — almost  beyond  the  hope  of  his 
Christian  friends — that  our  hero,  finally,  "  by  God's  assist 
ance,"  not  only  escaped  the  hatchet  of  the  Turk,  but 
drawing  his  fashion,  succeeded  in  running  him  through 
the  body.  This  event  dismounted  him  ;  and  though  he 
alighted  on  his  feet,  he  was  not  suffered  to  keep  them  long. 
He  soon  shared  the  fate  of  his  companions  ;  and  Smith, 
still  in  possession  of  his  own  head,  added  a  third  to  his 
former  bloody  trophies. 

9* 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THESE  several  victories,  the  fruit  of  so  much  skill,  judg 
ment  and  valor  on  the  part  of  our  champion,  had  the  most 
inspiriting  effect  upon  the  soldiery,  and  were  duly  honored 
by  the  commander  of  the  Christians.  A  most  imposing 
pageant  took  place  in  his  honor.  With  an  escort  of  six 
thousand  men,  the  three  Turks'  heads  borne  before  him 
on  so  many  spears,  preceding  the  three  horses  with  their 
panoply,  the  spoils  of  the  three  combats,  Smith  was  con 
ducted  to  the  pavillion  and  into  the  presence  of  the  general. 
Prince  Moyses  welcomed  him  with  embraces,  compliment 
ed  him  as  his  deeds  deserved,  bestowed  upon  him  a  noble 
charger  richly  furnished,  a  splendid  scimetar  and  belt 
worth  three  hundred  ducats.  Count  Meldritch  added  to 
these  gifts  another,  which  our  hero  in  all  probability  valued 
quite  as  highly  as  any  of  the  rest.  He  made  him  a  major 
in  his  regiment.  Nor  were  these  the  only  rewards  which 
followed  his  unwonted  and  successful  chivalry.  At  a  later 
period  Sigismund  Bathor,  Prince  of  Transylvania,  coming 
to  review  the  army,  and  being  made  aware  of  his  peculiar 
achievements,  distinguished  him  with  the  highest  personal 
attentions,  gave  him  his  picture  set  in  gold,  a  pension  of 
three  hundred  ducats  per  annum,  and  crowned  all  with  a 
patent  of  nobility.  This  patent  entitled  him  to  a  coat  of 
arms,  bearing  three  Turks'  heads  in  a  shield,  with  the 
motto,  "  Vincere  est  Vivere.* 

*  For  this  patent  and  the  certificate  of  the  English  garter  king-al 
arms,  Sir  William  Segar,  by  whom  it  was  admitted  ?.nd  put  on 
record  in  the  Heralds'  College,  England— see  Appendix. 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN'      SMITH.  59 

But  Smith  was  destined  to  undergo  other  perils  and 
vicissitudes,  and  to  make  other  exhibitions  of  courage, 
skill  and  endurance,  before  these  last  mentioned  honors 
were  conferred  upon  him.  Regall  was  yet  to  be  taken, 
and  however  keenly  its  defenders  might  feel  the  mor 
tification  and  loss  of  three  of  their  favorite  champions, 
their  determination  to  defend  the  place  to  the  last  moment 
was  not  a  whit  lessened  by  their  fate.  The  works  of  the 
besiegers  being  at  length  completed  for  the  grand  assault, 
they  opened  upon  the  walls  of  the  city  with  six  and  twenty 
pieces  of  artillery.  In  the  space  of  fifteen  days  two 
breaches  were  made.  These  were  defended  by  the  Turks 
with  all  the  earnestness  of  desperate  men  in  maintenance 
of  their  last  favorite  places  of  retreat.  A  general  assault 
at  length  was  commanded,  and  after  a  furious  conflict, 
hand  to  hand,  in  which  the  assailants  suffered  severely, 
the  town  was  entered  by  them  sword  in  hand.  The  sur 
viving  defenders  fled  to  the  castle  or  citadel,  as  the  only 
place  of  refuge.  But  this  was  not  to  be  a  place  of  refuge 
long.  In  vain  did  the  little  garrison  send  out  a  flag  of 
truce,  entreating  composition  with  the  besiegers.  The 
prayer  was  rejected  with  scorn  and  indignation.  The 
Christians  had  old  massacres  to  avenge,  and  the  castle,sub- 
jected  to  a  like  battery  with  that  which  had  overthrown 
their  ramparts,  was  taken  the  next  day  by  storm.  Then 
followed  one  of  those  terrible  instances  of  havoc  and  bru 
tality  which,  in  all  similar  circumstances,in  that  and  pre 
ceding  periods,  has  marked  the  victory  obtained  over 
walled  places  in  the  phrenzied  and  exciting  heat  of  actual 
conflict.  Dreadful  was  the  massacre  which  ensued.  All 
who  could  bear  arms  were  put  indiscriminately  to  the 
sword,  their  heads  cut  off  and  set  around  the  walls  upon 
stakes,  -such  as  had  been  done  to  the  Christian  defenders 
when  the  place  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  present 


RO  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      S  M  I  T      . 

victims.  Humanity  asks  without  being  answered,  "  What 
of  the  fair  women,  the  beautiful  and  young,  whose  pre 
sence  on  the  walls,  at  a  more  exhilarating  moment,  had 
stimulated  the  valor  of  knighthood,  and  whose  smiles  had 
lighted  up  the  field  of  chivalry  ?"  The  ferocious  temper 
which  spared  not  the  submissive  warrior,  was  not  likely, 
in  the  desperate  mood  which  the  sacking  of  a  city  de 
mands,  to  forbear  excess  and  violence  to  the  pleading  and 
the  loveliness  of  his  women,  particularly  when  the  very 
faith  with  which  they  professed,  placing  them  among  the 
heathen,  seemed  of  itself,  in  the  estimation  of  that  day  of 
bigotry  and  superstition,  to  put  them  out  of  the  pale  of  hu 
manity.  Though  our  adventurer  spares  us  the  melancholy 
details  of  this  ferocious  history,  it  is  to  his  credit  that  his 
language,  when  he  refers  to  the  subject,  is  that  of  regret 
and  sympathy.  We  have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  he 
ever  had  occasion  to  feel  remorse  for  his  share  in  these 
proceedings,  or  to  reproach  himself  with  deeds  which  were 
not  performed  in  the  heat  of  actual  conflict,  and  under  all 
the  necessity  of  self-defence. 

The  ramparts  of  Regall  being  repaired,  and  his  own 
besieging  works  overthrown,  Prince  Moyses  manned  the 
place  with  a  strong  garrison,  and  proceeded  to  other  con 
quests  We  need  not  say  that  Smith  accompanied  him. 
Like  successes  attended  the  Christians  at  Veratio,  Solmos 
and  Kupronka.  These  places  also  fell  by  storm,  were 
sacked — the  garrison  sharing  a  like  fate  with  the  arms- 
bearing  inhabitants  of  Regall,  and  the  decrepid,  the  women 
and  children,  two  thousand  in  number,  being  carried  into 
captivity.  We  are  to  conjecture  for  ourselves  the  sort 
of  experience,  busy  and  bloody,  of  strife  and  slaughter, 
through  which  our  hero  passed  in  this  melancholy  progress 
of  sacks  and  sieges.  But  the  heart  of  the  soldier  is  not 
necessarily  a  callous  one  ;  and  the  fervor  of  actual  combat 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  61 

subsiding,  the  more  genial  humanities  are  apt  to  recover 
all  their  sway  in  the  bosom  which  rather  obeys  the  prompt 
ing  of  an  impetuous  nature,  than  the  cold  and  cruel  dic 
tates  of  diseased  and  vexing  passions.  Smith's  narrative 
is  never  allowed  to  shock  our  sensibilities.  He  speaks  of 
the  conflict  in  the  spirit  of  the  warrior ;  but, the  strife  at 
rest,  he  seems  to  shrink  from  such  details  as  degrade  him 
from  his  humanity.  It  may  be  urged  that  he  was  not  igno 
rant  of  the  final  issues  of  war,  and  the  atrocious  practices 
which  usually  accompanied  it  at  that  period,  and  in  the 
wild  countries  in  which  he  waged  it ;  but  this  will  be 
insisting  upon  standards  of  morality  wrhich  did  not  belong 
to  his  time,  and  would  not  properly  apply  in  the  case  of 
one  so  neglected  in  his  youth  and  training  as  himself. 
Besides, he  was  too  much  the  creature  of  action,  too  fond 
of  adventure  in  fields  which  tax  all  the  energies  of  the 
soul  and  spirit,  to  be  easily  diverted  from  employments 
which  gave  exercise  to  these,  because  of  the  occasional 
repulsiveness  of  their  conditions.  Our  object,  however,  is 
not  to  excuse  but  to  represent  him  justly.  A  wild  time 
and  wild  countries  demand  a  prompt  and  unscrupulous 
courage.  Though  Smith  laments  the  horrors  of  warfare, 
and  speaks  always  with  the  gentleness  and  meekness  of 
that  better  spirit  which  sometimes  softened  the  aspects  of 
the  feudal  ages,  he  is  not  to  be  driven  from  the  profession 
of  arms,  because  of  its  occasional  massacres.  We  find 
him  still  commanding  under  Meldritch,  though  by  this 
time  certain  political  changes  in  the  affairs  of  Transylvania 
kft  him  no  longer  under  the  same  superior.  Hitherto, 
the  Prince  Sigismund,  from  whom  he  had  received  his 
honors,  had  maintained  a  sufficiently  bold  front  at  once 
against  the  Turks  and  the  emperor,  whose  authority  he 
had  defied,  asserting  for  himself  all  the  rights  of  an  inde 
pendent  sovereign.  But  the  struggle  was  too  unequal 
a 


62  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN       SMITH. 

The  resources  of  his  principality  were  exhausted  in  the  con 
flict  ;  and,  with  the  spectacle  before  his  eyes  of  ravaged 
fields  and  wasted  territories,  4he  proud  spirit  of  the  Prince 
was  humbled  within  him.  Smith  gives  in  a  few  words  a 
painful  description  of  the  condition  of  the  country  after  the 
close  of  this  twofold  struggle.  From  being  "  one  of  the 
fruitfullest  and  strongest  countries  in  those  parts,"  it  was 
become  "  rather  a  desert,  or  the  very  spectacle  of  desola 
tion  ;  their  fruits  and  fields  overgrovvne  with  weeds,  their 
churches,  and  battered  palaces,  and  best  buildings,  as  for 
feare,  hid  with  mosses  and  ivy :  being  the  very  bulwarke 
and  rampire  of  a  greate  part  of  Europe,  most  fit  by  all 
Christians  to  have  been  supplyed  and  maintained,  was 
thus  brought  to  ruine  by  them  it  most  concerned  to  sup 
port  it."  But  what  was  the  true  interest  of  the  country 
or  of  Europe  to  the  prerogative  of  the  Emperor  ?  The 
latter  was  unyielding,  and  Sigismund,  with  a  humane 
regard  to  the  distresses  of  his  people,  craved  a  truce  from 
his  invader.  This  truce  led  to  the  desired  concessions, 
which  were  followed  by  a  partial  disbanding  of  the  army 
under  Prince  Moyses.  Sigismund  accepted  a  munificent 
pension,  and  yielding  up  his  perilous  sovereignty,  retired 
upon  the  rank  and  estate  of  a  private  nobleman.  But 
this  was  an  arrangement  by  no  means  satisfactory  to  all 
the  parties.  Young  hawks  must  be  fed  ;  and  soldiers  by 
trade  are  not  the  less  willing  to  fight  because  they  are 
disbanded.  Prince  Moyses,  the  lieutenant  of  Sigismund, 
declared  his  resolution  never  to  submit  to  the  Germans  ; 
and  disobeying  the  commands  of  Sigismund — perhaps 
compelled  by  his  troops  to  disregard  them — he  marched 
against  the  forces  of  the  Emperor,  commanded  by  one 
Busca,  an  Albanian.  A  few  small  successes  which  he 
obtained  were  followed  by  a  bloody  conflict,  in  which  he 
was  finally  defeated,  and  fled  for  refuge  to  the  Turks  at 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  63 

TVmesvare.  His  overthrow  removed  all  obstacles  to  the 
progress  of  the  Emperor;  and  it  was  not  difficult  to  enlist 
the  same  soldiers  of  fortune  who  had  fought  for  the  one 
in  the  armies  of  the  opposing  Prince.  It  does  not  appear 
that  Smith  had  made  cause  with  Moyses  in  his  insurrec 
tionary  and  frantic  movement  against  Busca.  On  the 
contrary,  he  seems  to  have  adhered  to  the  fortunes  of  his 
more  immediate  leader,  the  Earl  of  Meldritch,  and  soon 
found  employment  with  him,  as  before,  in  defending  the 
country  from  the  infidel.  There  was  no  lack  of  employ 
ment  in  those  days,  and  in  that  region,  for  the  warlike  man- 
at-arms.  The  Turk  was  no  such  imbecile  as  we  find  him 
now,  to  be  trodden  upon  and  buffeted  with  impunity  by  all 
his  neighbors.  There  were  few  of  the  contiguous  nations, 
indeed,  which  at  that  time  he  did  not  cause  to  tremble ; 
and  his  restless  ambition  rendered  necessary  the  mainten 
ance  of  veteran  armies  everywhere  along  the  frontiers  of 
his  empire.  Wallachia  was  then  a  Turkish  province,  the 
people  of  which  revolting  against  the  tyranny  of  their  vai- 
vode  or  governor,  one  Jeremias,  expelled  him  from  their  ter 
ritory,  and  called  in  the  assistance  of  the  emperor's  forces. 
These  were  not  slow  in  coming  at  the  call,  and  at  their 
presence  and  with  their  assistance^  new  vaivode  was  pro 
claimed  in  the  person  of  Lord  Rodoll.  But  Jeremias,  the 
governor  who  had  been  expelled,  having  succeeded  in 
assembling  a  numerous  army  of  forty  thousand  men,  pre 
pared  to  contest  the  authority^  which  had  succeeded  to  his 
own,  and  to  subdue  and  scourge  the  revolt  among  his  sub 
jects.  Rodoll,  unable  to  contend  with  such  an  army,  fled 
at  its  approach,  and  took  shelter  among  the  Transylvanians. 
It  became  necessary  to  assert  the  rights  of  the  new  vai 
vode  by  force  of  arms,  and  Busca,  anxious  to  furnish  em 
ployment  to  the  old  regiments  of  Sigismund,  of  whose  fide 
lity  he  seems  to  have  had  some  doubts,  found  no  diificulty 


(T4  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

in  yielding  them  for  this  purpose,  to  the  application  of  the 
fugitive.  It  was  thus  that  Smith,  still  under  the  command 
of  his  old  leader,  the  Earl  of  Meldritch,  again  took  the 
field  against  his  ancient  enemy,  the  Turk.  Meldritch  led 
to  the  support  of  Rodoll  a  powerful  army  of  thirty  thou 
sand  men.  This  body  of  troops,  well  trained,  well  olS- 
cered  and  admirably  experienced,  was  perhaps  the  most 
veteran  force  in  Transylvania.  This  army,  penetrating 
Wallachia,  advanced  upon  the  camp  of  Jeremias,  who  lay 
strongly  entrenched  in  the  plains  of  Peteski,  awaiting  rein 
forcements  from  the  Grim  Tartars.  Here  the  Christians 
encamped  also,  watching  their  enemy,  but  not  daring  to 
assail  him  in  the  strong  position  which  he  held.  Frequent 
contlicts  took  place  between  small  parties  of  the  opposing 
forces,  which  were  chiefly  remarkable  for  the  shocking 
cruelties  which  thoy  practised.  While  Rodoll  beheaded 
his  prisoners,  and  Hung  their  gory  heads  by  night  into  the 
Turkish  trenches,  the  latter,  not  to  be  outdone  in  brutality, 
flayed  his  vic.iais  alivj,  aud  staked  the  sail  wann  car 
cases  on  huge  poL's  "ra  si^'at  of  their  infuriated  comrades. 
To  seduce  Jeremias  from  his  entrenchments,  Rodoll  fell 
upon  a  plan  of  retreat,  which  was  intended  to  have  all  the 
appearance  of  a  (light.  His  scheme  was  well  devised,  and  at 
a  given  period,  firing  the  country  as  he  withdrew  from  his 
camp,  he  retired  in  the  night  upon  the  Brink!  in  seeming 
precipitation.  The  ruse  had  the  desired  effect.  The 
Turks,  against  the  will  of  their  commander,  forced  him 
to  lead  them  in  pursuit,  and  while  the  rear-guard  of  Rodoll 
was  skirmishing  with  the  advance  parties  of  his  enemy, 
the  m  tin  body  of  his  army  was  putting  itself  in  the  most 
favorable  position  for  the  reception  of  the  pursuing  foe. 
Smith  gives  us  a  lively  account  of  the  battle  which  ensued. 
His  is  one  of  those  frank  and  generous  natures  which 
shows  no  reluctance  in  declaring  the  merits  as  well  of 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  65 

friend  and  enemy.  Meldritch  and  Busendorfe  he  describes 
"  rather  like  enraged  lious  than  like  men,"  and  fighting  the 
assailants  "  as  if  in  them  only  had  consisted  the  victory." 
Meldritch's  horse  is  slain  under  him,  and  the  desire  of  the 
Turks  to  make  him  prisoner,  and  of  his  own  followers  to 
save  him  from  this  peril,  makes  the  battle  hottest  where 
he  stands.  He  is  remounted,  and  "  it  is  thought  with 
his  owne  hands  he  slew  the  valiant  Zanzacke,  whereupon 
his  troopes  retyring,  the  two  proud  bashawes,  Aladdin  and 
Zezimmus,  brought  up  the  front  of  the  body  of  their  bat- 
tel."  The  fight  becomes  desperate  and  bloody.  The 
bravery  and  skill  of  Jeremias,  which  are  highly  commend 
ed  by  our  hero,  leave  it  for  some  time  doubtful,  even  with 
the  object  of  his  stratagem  obtained,  if  Rodoll  will  remain 
the  victor.  The  conflict  is  one  of  individual  combats,  and 
becomes  a  massacre  rather  than  a  fight.  ii  There  was 
scarce  ground  to  stand  upon,"  says  Smith,  "  but  upon  the 
dead  carkasses  which,  in  less  than  an  hower,  were  so 
mingled  as  if  each  regiment  had  singled  out  the  other."  It 
is  really  pleasing  to  hear  him  speak  of  the  Turkish  cham 
pions.  "  The  admired  Aladdin,"  says  he,  "  that  day  did 
leave  behinde  him  a  glorious  name  for  his  valour,  whose 
death  many  of  his  enemies  did  lament  after  the  victorie." 
"  Zezimmus,  the  bashaw,  was  taken  prisoner,  but  died 
presently  of  his  wounds."  "Jeremie  *  *  *  like  a 
valiant  prince  in  the  front  of  the  vantgard,  by  his  example 
so  bravely  encouraged  his  soldiers  that  Rodoll  found  no 
great  assurance  of  the  victorie."  But  the  victory  finally 
fell  to  the  Christians.  Their  veteran  experience  deter 
mined  the  odds  in  their  favor.  The  havoc  had  been 
immense.  The  Turks  lost  their  bravest  officers,  and  not 
less  than  twenty-five  thousand  dead  of  both  armies  were 
left  upon  the  field,  a  bloody  proof  of  the  resolute  hatred 
of  the  opposing  legions.  Of  his  own  share  in  this  battle, 


66  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

Smith  modestly  tells  us  nothing.  His  eulogies  upon  the 
valorous  deeds  of  others,  friend  and  foe,  leave  him  no 
room  to  relate  his  own.  But  a  struggle  so  hotly  and  so 
closely  contested,  with  regiment  grappling  regiment  over 
the  bodies  of  slain  comrades,  is  not  likely  to  have  been 
spared  the  exhibitions  of  that  spirit,  skill,  strength  and 
courage,  which  had  so  often  individualized  his  previous 
career.  We  have  no  doubt  that  our  adventurer  did  not 
suffer  himself  to" be  outdone,  and  his  own  glory  obscured, 
by  any  Turk  or  Christian  in  the  two  arrays.  He  did  not 
repose  upon  the  laurels  of  Regall,  but  in  all  probability 
dyed  his  sanguinary  chaplet  trebly  red  in  the  havoc  of  that 
mortal  struggle. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

JEREMIK,  the  .eader  of  the  Turks,  after  performing  prodi 
gies  of  valor,  escaped  from  the  field  with  some  fourteen 
thousand  men,  making  his  way  to  Moldavia.  Lord  Rodoll 
resumed  his  rule  as  vaivode  in  Wallachia ;  but  his  fate 
seemed  resolute  that  he  should  not  hold  it  long  without 
disturbance.  The  Turks  and  Tartars  again  drew  to  a  head 
in  numbers,  and,  under  the  conduct  of  Jeremie,  who  had 
succeeded  in  uniting  the  remnant  of  his  forces  with  other 
troops  in  Moldavia,  again  appeared  upon  the  field.  The 
numbers  of  his  army  had  been  greatly  underrated  ;  and 
Meldritch,  laboring  under  this  error,  was  sent  against  him 
with  but  thirteen  thousand  men.  With  an  enemy  before 
him  numbering  nearly  forty-five  thousand  men,  Meldritch 
slowly  yielded  to  a  pressure  which  it  would  have  been 
madness  to  resist.  He  retired  towards  Rottenton,  a 
strongly  garrisoned  town  of  the  vaivode,  but  was  terribly 
harassed  by  his  enemy  on  the  retreat.  The  skirmishing 
parties  of  the  two  armies  were  in  constant  collision,  and 
not  without  advantage  to  the  Christian  army  ;  which, 
however,  still  continued  its  retrograde  movement,  made 
momently  more  and  more  conscious,  by  the  accumulating 
presence  of  the  foe,  of  the  tremendous  disparity  between 
the  two  forces.  A  night  march  which  Meldritch's  troops 
made,  with  incredible  expedition,  through  a  wood,  brought 
them  unexpectedly  upon  two  thousand  of  the  Turks  laden 
with  plunder.  Favored  by  a  thick  morning  fog,  which 
concealed  their  approach  from  the  foe,  they  immediately 
charged  with  complete  success,  slaying  many,  and  taking 
numerous  prisoners.  But  this  success  was  accompanied 


58 


r  E       OF       C   A    I'  TAIN       SMITH. 


by  the  knowledge,  gained  from  tlu»ir  captivvs,  that  thi-ii 
rapidity  of  march  huci  availed  them  nothing  Thry  \\ere 
apprised  that  Jvi'emie  with  his  Turks  had  got  in  advance 
of  them,  and  now  lay  in  waiting,  guarding  the  onlv  pass 
through  which  they  could  escape.  To  support  him  in 
his  position,  the  Tai  tars,  twice  his  number,  were  approach 
ing  at  a  little  distance,  conscious  of  their  vast  superiority 
of  force,  arui  eager  for  their  prey.  The  prospect  only 
increased  the  desperate  valor  of  the  Christians.  Jt  hecame 
necessary  to  force  the  passage,  if  possible,  before  the 
junction  of  the  Tartars  with  the  Turkish  army  under  Jere- 
ntiie  ;  and  here,  again,  the  ingenuity  of  the  "  Knglish 
Smith,"  as  he  styles  himself,  was  put  in  requisition  foi 
the  relief  of  the  beleaguered  army.  Smith,  remembering 
the  excellent  success  which  had  followed  his  experi 
ments  of"  fiery  dragons"  and  "  false  mu.-keteers"  on  pre 
vious  occasions,  conceived  the  idea  of  a  "  pretty  stratagem 
of  fireworks,"  of  which  he  instantly  advised  his  superior. 
By  means  of  these  he  proposed  to  diminish  materially  the 
danger  and  difficulties  of  fighting  his  way  through  such  a 
host  as  that  of  Jeremie,  in  the  advantageous  position 
which  the  latter  occupied.  Meldritch,  who  had  already 
seen  the  excellent  skill  which  our  hero  possessed  in  gun 
powder,  gave  ready  ear  to  his  suggestions.  The  plan  of 
Smith  was  quite  simple.  Rockets,  of  a  highly  explosive 
and  eccentric  character,  were  immediately  prepared,  and 
fastened  to  the  ends  of  their  lances  ;  and  under  cover  of 
the  niprit  the  passage  was  attempted.  The  expedient  had 
all  the  success  which  was  expected  from  it.  The  rockets, 
two  or  three  hundred  in  number — "  truncks  of  wild-fire" 
— at  the  end  of  the  charging  spears,  "  blazed  forth  such 
flames  and  sparkles,  that  it  so  amazed  not  only  their 
horses  but  their  foot  also,  that,  by  the  meanes  of  this 
flamin"  encounter,  their  owne  horses  turned  tailes  witt) 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  69 

such  fury,  as  by  their  violence  overthrew  Jeremias  and 
his  army,  without  any  losse  at  all  to  sp,>ak  of  to  Meldritch.'1 
The  Turks  were  in  fact  beaten  and  driven  from  the  field 
by  this  simple  stratagem,  and  the  dangerous  passage  was 
passed,  with  hopes  of  safety  renewed  among  the  Chris 
tians,  having  so  unexpectedly  surmounted  the  obstacle 
which  had  been  so  much  feared.  Truly,  the  English 
Smith  was  a  valuable  companion  in  a  moment  of  emer 
gency  ;  and  it  is  to  be  recognized  as  a  sufficient  proof  ot 
the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held,  that  he  finds  his 
way  at  pleasure  to  the  private  ear  of  his  superior,  and  his 
counsel  is  usually  adopted  with  ready  confidence. 

But  the  success  of  the  "  pretty  stratagem  of  fireworks" 
was  only  temporary.  They  had  discomfited  Jeremie 
but  the  Tartar  with  his  forty  thousand  men  lay  still  in 
the  path.  The  army  of  Meldritch  was  now  reduced  to 
eleven  thousand  only.  Pressing  forward  with  this  rem 
nant  with  more  speed  than  prudence,  they  encountered 
the  enemy  in  force  within  three  leagues  of  Rottenton,  the 
fortified  city  which  they  aimed  to  reach.  The  position  in 
which  the  two  armies  encountered  was  such  as  to  render 
it  impossible  to  escape  the  conflict.  The  alternative  for 
fight  was  to  "  be  cut  to  pieces  flying." 

"  Here,"  says  Smith,  bitterly,  reviewing  the  danger, 
"  here  Busca  and  the  emperor  had  their  desire."  His 
allusion  is  to  the  obvious  anxiety  of  the  Germans  to  be 
rid  of  auxiliaries,  whose  very  fidelity  made  them  suspect 
ed  by  his  enemy  and  successor,  and  whose  veteran  valor 
he  had  excellent  reason  to  fear.  It  is  in  this  place  that 
our  adventurer  exhibits  the  glow  and  ardor  of  that  spirit 
which  was  at  the  bottom  of  his  chivalry.  It  is  here, in 
his  book,  that  his  tones  rise,  and  his  voice  dilates  in  the 
swelling  language  of  the  Spaniard.  And  there  is  a  rude 
vein  of  poetry  apparent  in  his  narrative  at  this  and  other 


70  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

like  places,  which  reminds  us  of  the  verses  of  genuine  bards. 
Thus  when  he  says,  "  The  sunne  no  sooner  displayed  his 
beames  than  the  Tartar  his  colours,"  we  feel  that  he  is 
quite  as  natural,  and  even  more  happy  in  his  figure,  than 
Dan  Chaucer  in  the  famous  line — 

"  Uprose  the  sunne,  and  uprose  Erailie  ;" 

since  the  pomp  and  splendor  of  the  image  which  furnished 
the  comparison  is  much  more  appropriate  to  the  gorgeous 
aspects  of  battle  than  to  the  making  of  a  damsel's  toilet. 

The  terrors  and  dangers  of  the  approaching  contlict  do 
not  render  our  hero  indifferent  to  the  beauty  and  magnifi 
cence  of  the  spectacle.  "  It  was  a  most  brave  sight,"  he 
exclaims,  "  to  see  the  banners  and  ensigns  streaming  in 
the  aire,  the  glittering  of  armour,  the  variety  of  colours, 
the  motion  of  plumes,  the  forests  of  lances,  and  the  thick- 
nesse  of  shorter  weapons,  till  the  silent  expedition  of  the 
bloody  blast  from  the  murdering  ordnance,  whose  roaring 
voice  is  not  so  soone  heard  as  felt  by  the  aymed-at  object, 
which  made  among  them  a  most  lamentable  slaughter." 

Delivered  up  to  almost  certain  destruction  by  what 
Smith  styles — having  reference,  we  suppose,  to  the  empe 
ror  in  withholding  succor — "  a  tyrannical  and  treacherous 
imposture,"  "  a  cowardly  calamity,"  the  Christian  army 
prepared  for  the  terrible  encounter  with  the  coolness  and 
resolve  of  veterans.  It  was  "  in  the  valley  of  Veristhorne, 
betwixt  the  river  of  Altus  and  the  mountain  of  Rottenton," 
that  "  this  bloody  encounter"  took  place,  "  where  the  most 
of  the  dearest  friends  of  the.  noble  Prince  Sigismundus 
perished."  The  •  affectionate  manner  in  which  Smith 
speaks  of  this  Prince,  and  of  the  followers  whose  fidelity 
he  had  experienced,  is  very  pleasing  and  honorable.  His 
sense  of  the  beauty  of  fidelity  is  another  of  those  traits  of 
chivalry,  which  are  conspicuous  equally  in  the  events  oi 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  71 

his  I  ifr,  and  in  the  narrative  which  records  them.  He 
dwells  with  more  than  ordinary  minuteness  upon  this  last 
fatal  battle. 

Meldritch,  always  a  good  captain,  made  the  best  possi 
ble  disposition  of  his  forces.  His  eleven  thousand  men 
were  drawn  up  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  in  their 
front  and  on  their  flanks  sharp  stakes,  hardened  in  the  fire 
and  bent  against  the  enemy,  were  planted  in  the  earth. 
By  digging  numerous  holes  at  frequent  intervals  along  the 
line,  it  was  aimed  still  farther  to  lessen  the  vast  superiority 
which  the  Tartars  possessed  in  cavalry.  The  infantry 
was  ranged  among  the  stakes,  having  orders  to  retire  be 
hind  them  when  they  found  themselves  too  severely 
pressed.  All  the  precautions  which  were  practicable  in 
the  condition  of  their  affairs  seem  to  have  been  taken  with 
deliberate  coolness  and  resolve — the  preparations  made 
being  of  a  character  to  show,  that  it  was  the  conviction  of 
the  Christian  commander  that  the  struggle  was  a  final  one 
for  life  rather  than  victory — though,  in  such  an  issue,  the 
former  seems  necessarily  to  imply  the  other. 

It  was  noon  before  the  armies  joined  battle  :  "  the 
sunne"  that  had  risen  so  gloriously,  according  to  Smith, 
u  for  shame  did  hide  himselfe  from  so  monstrous  sight  of  a 

O 

cowardly  calamity."  But  the  calamity,  however  great, 
could  not  suffer  from  the  reproach  of  cowardice,  unless  it 
be  charged  upon  the  Tartar  forces  in  regard  to  their  over 
whelming  numerical  superiorityr  These,  forty  thousand 
in  number,  were  also  arrayed  for  the  struggle  with  skill 
and  judgment.  The  battle  was  begun  by  Mustapha  Bey, 
who  came  on,  gallantly  enough,  in  the  midst  of  a  storm  of 
music  from  drums,  trumpets  and  hautboys.  He  waa 
bravely  met,  and  beaten  back  by  the  regiments  of  horse 
under  Nederspolt  and  Mavazo.  His  attack  was  followed 
up  *;y  the  bold  and  headlong  onslaught  of  a  Tartar  chief 


72          LIFE   OF   CAPTAIN   SMITH. 

named  Begolgi,  whose  advancing  squadrons  darkened  the 
skies  with  their  multitudinous  arrows.  The  lieutenants, 
Veltus  and  Ober win, struggled  under  this  terrible  pressure 
for  more  than  an  hour,  yielded  finally,  and  sank  agreeably 
to  order  behind  the  stakes  which  had  been  planted  for 
their  safety  against  this  very  emergency.  Then  followed, 
heedless  of  this  obstruction,  of  which  hitherto  they  had 
seen  nothing,  the  blind  rush  of  the  Tartar  cavalry.  "  It 
was  a  wonder,"  says  Smith,  "  to  see  how  horse  and  man 
came  to  the  ground." 

The  disorder  was  so  great  among  these  "  mangled 
troopes,"  in  consequence  of  this  unlocked  for  disaster,  that 
the  Christians,  enlivened  by  new  hopes,  began  to  shout 
for  victory  ;  and,  with  five  or  six  field-pieces  which  now 
played  with  effect  upon  the  discomfited  horsemen,  succeed 
ed  for  a  brief  space  in  arresting  the  assailants.  But  the 
hope  was  illusory.  The  respite  was  for  an  instant  only. 
The  Turks  soon  recovered  from  their  disorder  and  sur 
prise,  and  renewed  the  combat  with  new  legions  and  a 
fresher  fury.  Their  reckless  onslaught,  and  swarming 
multitudes,  soon  satisfied  Meldritch  that  nothing  short  of 
a  miracle  could  save  his  army,  that  any  hope  of  victory 
was  idle,  and  that  all  that  now  remained  for  him  to  attempt, 
was  to  cut  his  way  through  the  enemy  with  a  select  body 
of  his  men.  With  this  resolution  he  drew  together  hi? 

D 

choice  troops  and  his  reserve,  and  gave  orders  for  tho 
desperate  charge.  The  attempt  was  only  in  part  success 
ful.  The  passage  was  made  by  Meldritch  himself  and 
some  fourteen  hundred  horse,  who  succeeded  by  swim 
ming  in  throwing  the  river  Altus  between  the  nselves  and 
their  pursuers.  But  heavy  was  the  toll  which  he  had  to 
pay  in  making  that  passage.  Numbers  fell  in  the  flight, 
and  among  these  many  of  his  bravest  officers.  Of  the 
sanguinary  terrors  of  that  conflict  some  idea  may  be 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  73 

gathered  from  the  fact,  that  of  both  armies  thirty  thousand 
men  were  left  upon  the  field.  Nor  did  the  commons  suffer 
only.  Earls  and  barons,  colonels  and  captains — the  brave 
generals  Nederspolt,  Veltus,  Zarvana,  Mavazo,  and  Ba- 
vell — were  among-  the  slain  ;  and  Smith,  with  praise 
worthy  patriotism,  iocs  not  omit  to  make  a  record  which 
he  deems  honorable  to  his  native  land.  "  Give  me  leave," 
says  he,  "  to  remember  the  names  of  our  owne  countrymen 
*  *  in  these  exploits,  that,  as  resolutely  as  the  best,  in 
the  defence  of  Christ  and  his  Gospell  ended  their  dayes  ; 
as  Baskerfield,  Hardwicke,  Thomas  Milemer,  Robert  Molli- 
newx,  Thomas  Bishop,  Francis  Compton,  George  Damson^ 
Nicholas  Williams,  and  one  John,  a  Scot,  did  what  men 
could  doe  ;  and  when  they  could  doe  no  more  left  there 
their  bodies,  in  testimonie  of  their  mindes.  Only  Ensigne 
Caileton  and  Sergeant  Robinson  escaped." 

Smith  himself  was  left  severely  wounded,  and  seemingly 
dead,  among  a  heap  of  the  slain.  His  rich  armor  drew 
the  attention  of  the  conquerors,  while  his  groans,  uttered 
in  his  unconsciousness,  showed  him  to  be  still  alive.  His 
life  was  spared  in  consideration  of  his  ransom.  Carefully 
nursed  and  tended,  his  wounds  were  healed,  his  strength 
gradually  recovered,  and  when  fit  for  inspection,  he  was 
offered  for  sale  in  the  slave-markets  of  Axiopolis.  He 
was  bought  by  the  Bashaw  Bogall,  and  sent  by  him  in 
chains  to  his  "  faire  mistresse"  at  Constantinople.  "  By 
twentie  and  twentie,  chained  by  the  neckes,  they  marched 
in  files  to  this  great  citie,  where  they  were  delivered  to 
their  several  masters,  and  he  (Smith)  to  the  young  Cha» 
ratza  Trayabigzanda." 


CHAPTER    IX, 

THE  Bashaw  Bogall,  though  no  hero,  was  yet  ambitious 
of  the  fame  of  one  ;  and, in  sending  Smith  to  his  mistress, 
he  committed  the  blunder — to  say  nothing  of  the  worse 
offence  against  morals — of  telling  her  that  the  captain  was 
a  Bohemian  nobleman,  who  had  yielded  to  the  vigor  of 
his  own  right  arm  in  battle.  The  personal  appearance  of 
Smith  was  in  his  favor  ;  and  his  address  soon  awakened 
in  the  fair  Charatza  a  degree  of  interest  which  was  not 
allowed  to  escape  his  notice.  To  what  extent  he  availed 
himself  of  this  discovery,  his  own  modesty  forbids  us  to 
know.  That  he  won  her  affections  is  unquestionable 
The  story  of  the  wooing,  as  told  in  his  own  narrative, 
reminds  us  strongly  of  that  of  Othello.  The  narrative 
which  she  had  received  from  Bogall  prompted  her  dis 
course.  She  sought  him  from  time  to  time,  and  demanded 
of  him  the  particulars  of  his  overthrow  by  her  lover. 
When  she  heard  the  falsehood  of  the  tale  with  which  the 
latter  had  imposed  upon  her,  her  indignation  against  the 
impostor  prepared  the  way  for  another  sort  of  feeling  for 
himself.  She  could  speak  the  Italian  language,  and  a, 
he  had  travelled  in  Italy,  there  was  no  impediment  t< 
their  free  communication  with  one  another.  When  h( 
told  her  that  he  had  never  seen  Bogall  till  he  had  been 
sold  to  him  in  the  slave-market  of  Axiopolis — that  he  was 
no  Bohemian,  but  an  Englishman,  who  had  succeeded  by 
his  prowess  to  a  command  in  Wallachia — her  curiosity 
and  interest  increased  in  the  captive.  But  she  did  not 
yield  herself  implicitly  and  without  proper  precaution  to 
his  narrative.  She  tried  his  veracity  by  inquiries  propos« 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  75 

ed  to  other  persons — slaves  also,  we  suppose,  who  could 
speak  the  English,  French,  and  Dutch  languages — by  all 
of  whom  the  honesty  of  Smith's  assurances  was  confirm 
ed,  and  her  sympathy  with  him — Smith  calls  it  "  com 
passion," — was  necessarily  strengthened  and  increased. 
As  she  arrived  cautiously  at  her  "  compassion,"  so  she 
observed  a  like  degree  of  caution  in  giving  it  utterance. 
She  was  not  herself  sufficiently  free  to  do  boldly  what  she 
desired  ;  but  when  she  sought  the  society  of  her  slave  she 
feigned  sickness,  which  enabled  her  to  discard  other  com 
pany  for  that  of  the  preferred  one.  She  had  lonely  mo 
ments,  sad  ones,  when  it  pleased  her  mood  to  retire  to 
"  weepe  over  the  graves  ;"  and  we  are  permitted  to  fancy 
that  on  such  occasions  Smith  was  always  nigh  to  give  he> 
lessons  in  English,  or  to  confirm  her  practice  in  Italian 
The  burial-places  among  the  Moslems  are  rare  and  beau 
tiful  retreats — frequently  garden-spots,  filled  with  singing 
birds — and  the  stately  and  solemn  moods  of  the  people 
render  them  highly  eligible  as  places  of  resort  to  the  con 
templative  and  gentle  spirit.  Their  superstition  somewhat 
increases  the  security  of  such  places,  and  the  loving  as 
well  as  the  sorrowing  heart  may  thus  equally  find  them 
useful.  It  is  quite  natural  that  an  author  should  become 
abrupt  at  this  stage  of  his  narrative.  It  belongs  to  him, 
as  a  preux  chevalier,  to  relate  only  what  is  unavoidably 
necessary  to  his  biography.  But  he  had  won  her  heart, 
and  the  discovery,  unfortunately,  was  made  by  others 
quite  as  soon  perhaps  as  by  the  parties.  Charatza  is  sud 
denly  alarmed  lest  her  mother  should  sell  her  favorite. 
She  is  not  her  own  mistress,  and  dares  not  openly  oppose 
this  design.  She  finds  but  one  way  to  avert  it,  and  that 
is  by  sending  him  to  her  brother  Timour  Bashaw,  of  Nal- 
britz,  in  Gambia,  one  of  the  provinces  of  Tartary.  This 
proceeding  satisfies  the  mother,  since  her  only  object  was 


76  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN       SMITH. 

to  separate  the  maiden  from  the  captive  in  whom  she  had 
such  a  tender  interest.  But  never  could  choice  be  more 
unfortunate.  The  letter  which  Charatza  wrot^  fo  her 
brother  unhappily  betrayed  to  him  her  secret.  She  relied 
too  much  upon  his  regard  for  herself,  and  did  not  hesitate 
to  demand  from  him  the  best  of  usage  ft.  the  prisoner. 
His  sojourn  in  Tartary  was  to  be  temporary  only,  for  the 
purpose  of  acquiring  the  habits  and  the  language  of  the 
Turks,  and  until  time  should  make  her  mistress  of  her  own 
person.  This  last  suggestion,  which  *o  completely  be 
trayed  the  nature  of  the  inter~r>i.  which  she  felt  in  the  cap 
tive,  awakened  all  the  ^acional  bigotry  in  the  bosom  of  the 
brother.  It  provoked  a  treatment  equally  prompt  and 
cruel,  which  the  poor  Charatza  little  fancied  would  befall 
her  favorite.  The  haughty  Bashaw  was  not  prepared  to 
countenance  such  a  connection  between  his  sister  and  her 
slave.  To  degrade  the  object  of  her  interest  was  his  first 
movement  ;  and  within  an  hour  after  his  arrival,  our 
adventurer  was  stripped  naked,  his  head  and  beard  shaven 
"  so  bare  as  his  hand,"  his  body  clad  in  undrest  skins  and 
haircloth,  and  a  heavy  ring  of  iron,  "  with  a  long  stalke 
bowred  like  a  sickle  riveted  about  his  neck."  The  rest 
of  his  treatment  was  of  the  same  description.  He  was 
tasked  with  the  vilest  labors,  in  a  condition,  as  he  himself 
expresses  it,  beyond  the  endurance  of  a  dog  ; — a  slave,  as 
the  last  comer,  to  the  whole  herd  of  slaves,  hundreds  in 
number,  in  bonds  to  this  petty  tyrant  ;  who,  "  for  all 
their  paines  and  labours,  no  more  regarded  them  than  a 
beast." 

Smith  was  an  attentive  observer,  so  far  as  his  opportu 
nities  would  allow,  of  the  peculiarities,  the  manners,  and 
condition  of  the  country,  no  matter  what  were  the  circum 
stances  in  which  he  found  himself.  Though  his  narrative 
is  usually  a  meagre  one,  he  yet  suffers  us  to  see  that  he 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  77 

notes  all  things  with  a  shrewd  and  military  eye.  We 
have  constant  proofs  of  it  in  his  pages,  which  are  seldom 
heedful  of  very  nice  details.  Thus,  in  his  transit  from 
Constantinople  to  Nalbritz,  we  have  a  bird's-eye  view  of 
places  and  objects  on  the  route,  though  it  is  not  always 
easy  to  identify  the  points  which  fix  his  attention,  under 
the  names  or  the  orthography  which  he  employs  in  desig 
nating  them,  with  such  as  are  familiar  to  us  now.  Nor  is 
it  important  that  we  should.  A  prisoner,  closely  watched 
and  guarded,  is  not  likely  to  see  much  of  curious  interest 
in  his  progress,  and  ours  is  a  biography,  not  a  book  of 
travels. 

He  remarks  always  the  face  of  the  country  ;  how  the 
towns  lie  ;  what  are  the  approaches  by  water ;  how  the 
forts  are  built,  and  their  apparent  strength  or  weakness  ; 
straits,  how  defended  ;  channels,  how'  obstructed,  or  how 
accessible  ;  and  sometimes  gives  us  a  bit  of  military  his 
tory,  as  applicable  to  the  particular  place  which  attracts 
his  attention  All  this  he  does  unobtrusively,  and  without 
the  slightest  pretension. 

As  a  bondsman  among  the  Tartars,  he  was  compelled  to 
nolice  other  things,  as  well  as  to  perform  other  duties, 
which  hitherto  had  received  but  little  of  his  attention. 
Several  chapters  of  his  memoirs  are  given  to  the  diet  of 
the  Turks  ;  to  their  slaves ;  the  attire  of  the  Tartars 
their  religion  ;  modes  of  warfare  ;  modes  of  living  ;  feasts ; 
estates  ;  buildings  ;  tributes  ;  laws  ;  justice  ;  slaves  ;  en 
tertainment  of  embassies  ;  armies  and  levies  ;  arms  ;  pro 
visions  for  armies  ;  division  of  spoil,  &c.  Where  his  per 
sonal  observation  fails  in  regard  to  these  subjects,  he 
pieces  it  out  with  materials  drawn  from  books  ;  and  in  all 
probability,  after  coming  out  of  captivity,  he  read  all  that 
he  conveniently  could  in  relation  to  the  countries  which 
he  had  traversed,  or  in  which  he  had  been  held  in  bondage 


78  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN       SMITH. 

His  own  observations  are  not  favorable  to  the  Mussul 
mans.  Their  food  disgusts  him  ;  their  drink  ;  their  loath- 
some  and  filthy  habits  ;  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  theh 
brutal  treatment  of  the  captive.  But  Smith  saw  things 
through  the  rings  of  his  fetters,  and  his  picture  of  the  peo 
ple  and  the  country  could  scarce  be  other  than  unfavorable. 
He  certainly  takes  away,  by  his  description,  much  of  the 
picturesque  in  the  habits  and  history  of  the  wandering 
Tartars.  He  pays  willing  tribute  to  their  laws  and  jus 
tice  as  administered  among  their  own  people  ;  and  frankly 
credits  their  hardihood  of  life,  their  physical  constitution, 
their  agility  and  strength,  their  horsemanship,  their  prompt 
obedience,  and  their  endurance  of  evil  without  complaint. 
The  four  chapters  which  he  devotes  to  these  subjects, 
while  they  prove  his  good  sense,  excellent  judgment,  and 
vigilant  observation,  are  scarcely  of  any  interest  in  the 
present  advanced  state  of  our  knowledge  in  regard  to  the 
condition  of  the  several  countries  to  which  they  relate  ;  to 
say  nothing  of  the  material  changes  in  habit  and  character 
which  Turk  and  Tartar  have  undergone  since  the  period 
when  they  were  written.  They  suffice  only  to  show  how 
diligent  was  his  mind,  and  how  patient  his  watch,  that 
could  enable  him  to  see  and  remember  so  much  while  in 
the  irksome  bonds,  and  busy  in  the  degrading  labors  to 
which  he  found  himself  condemned.  How  long  he  re 
mained  in  these  bonds  is  uncertain.  His  own  narrative  is 
silent  on  the  subject ;  but  from  the  period  when  he  was 
made  prisoner  to  that  in  which  he  returned  to  Transyl 
vania,  the  interval  is  something  short  of  one  year.  An 
obscure  passage  in  one  of  his  chapters  leads  to  the  infer- 
once  that  he  may  have  been  something  over  six  months  a 
bondsman  with  Timour  Bashaw.  In  this  period  he  was 
without  consolation.  The  sympathies  of  woman,  the 
blandishments  of  love,  no  longer  lightened  his  sorrows 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH  79 

He  heard  nothing  from  the  fair  Charatza,  upon  whose 
affection  he  built  his  only  hope  of  delivery  from  thraldom. 
She  was,  in  his  own  words,  "  surely  ignorant  of  his  bad 
usage  ;"  or  if  not  ignorant,  she  was  not  permitted  to  con 
tinue  or  to  resume  an  intrigue  which  so  much  revolted  the 
pride  of  her  watchful  parent,  and  despotic  brother.  But 
though  disappointed  and  wearied  with  the  hope  deferied, 
he  did  not  despond.  He  did  not  rely  upon  the  one  hope 
only.  He  was  not  the  man  to  wait  events  when  he  might 
shape  and  give  them  impulse,  and  he  frequently  discussed 
with  his  fellow-bondsmen  the  subject  of  their  condition, 
and  the  probabilities  in  favor  of  any  attempt  which  might 
be  made  for  their  escape.  But  these  gave  him  no  encour 
agement.  Neither  "  reason  nor  possibility"  encouraged 
their  attempts.  He  probably  found  among  them  no  such 
spirit  as  his  own  ;  the  long  period  of  their  slavery  having 
somewhat  reconciled  them  to  its  severities. 

Smith  had  not  reached  this  condition  of  resignation,  and 
he  was  to  find  the  door  of  his  prison-house  unfolded  at  a 
moment  when  he  least  expected  it.  i(  God,"  he  exclaims, 
with  that  complacency  which  prompts  every  adventurous 
mind — every  man  of  genius,  in  other  words — to  consider 
himseli'  the  child  of  a  peculiar  destiny  :  "  God,  beyond 
man's  expectation  or  imagination,  heipeth  his  servants 
when  they  least  thiuke  of  helpe,  as  it  hapned  to  him."  In 
common  speech,  an  opportunity  offered  itself  at  once  for 
escape  and  vengeance,  and  his  manly  courage  did  not  suf 
fer  it  to  pass  unemployed.  His  task?  for  some  time  pre 
vious,  had  been  to  thrash  corn  at  a  country-house,  more 
than  a  league  distant  from  the  dwelling  of  his  Tartar  lord. 
To  this  place  the  latter  frequently  came,  and  on  all  such 
occasions  Smith  was  particularly  the  victim  of  his  ill- 
usage.  The  affections  of  the  sister  had  provoked  the 
antipathies  of  the  brother,  and  our  adventurer  was  thus 


JO  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

nade  to  endure  abuses  in  due  proportion  to  those  delights 
<vhich  had  soothed  him  in  the  first  days  of  his  captivity. 
It  was  hy  beating  and  buffeting  her  slave, that  Timour  did 
justice  to  the  entreaties  made  in  his  behalf  by  the  loved 
and  loving  Charatza  Tragabigzanda.  He  was  destined  to 
repeat  this  wanton  exercise  once  too  frequently  for  the 
patience  of  his  captive.  On  this  occasion  it  so  happened 
that  the  circumstances  were  all  favorable  to  the  latter. 
The  two  were  alone  together  in  a  spot  removed  from  the 
other  prisoners,  remote,  indeed,  from  the  observation  of 
all ;  and  when  the  petty  tyrant,  in  his  humor,  smote  the 
slave  over  his  task,  the  ordinary  thrashing-flail  which  he 
worked  with  became  the  ready  implement  of  his  defence 
and  vengeance.  Stung  to  fury  by  the  repeated  indignities, 
and  counselled  by  the  auspicious  circumstances  of  the 
occasion,  the  love  of  the  sister  was  forgotten  in  the  rage 
which  the  !•.  vitality  of  the  brother  had  provoked,  and  dart 
ing  upon  his  tyrant  unexpectedly,  Smith  beat  out  his 
brains  in  an  instant. 

The  deed  was  done  as  effectually  as  suddenly.  But 
this  was  only  the  beginning  of  the  game.  There  was  no 
time  to  lose,  and  with  the  same  readiness  and  resolution 
as  he  had  shown  in  slaying  his  enemy,  our  hero  dressed 
himself  in  his  garments  and  threw  his  carcase  out  of  sight 
beneath  the  straw.  This  done,  he  filled  his  knapsack 
with  corn,  closed  the  doors,  and  mounting  the  Tartar's 
horse,  which  stood  in  waiting,  he  pushed  with  all  speed, 
at  a  venture,  for  the  solitude  of  the  desert.  He  knew 
nothing  of  the  route  before  him  ;  could  not  even  conjec 
ture  what  course  to  pursue  to  avoid  his  enemies,  and  thus 
wandered  wildly  forward,  not  daring  to  seek  information, 
but  rather  strivin^  to  avoid  encounter  with  all  alow  the 

-T?  C? 

road.  For  three  days  he  wandered  thus  desperately,  and 
in  this  miserable  manner.  But  the  child  of  destiny 


Smith  kills  Timour  Bashaw.  —  Page  80. 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN       SMITH.  81 

more  finds  himself  the  object  of  a  special  providence,  The 
power  which  had  favored  him  thus  far  seems  to  have 
guided  his  footsteps  in  a  peculiar  manner,  since  the  firsl 
intimation  of  his  whereabouts  and  route  which  he  receiv 
ed,  was  from  the  sign  of  the  cross !  This  was  a  huge 
guide  post  set  up  by  the  wayside,  and  shaped  like  the 
cross,  to  indicate  the  highway  to  Muscovy,  a  Christian 
country.  Such  a  symbol,  thus  encountered,  might  well, 
in  the  case  of  a  Christian,  be  regarded  as  an  auspicious 
augury ;  and  Smith  so  esteemed  it.  The  God  whom  he 
served,  had  directed  his  unconscious  footsteps  to  the  sym 
bol  of  his  Redeemer's  sufferings ;  and  Smith  was  very  far 
from  being  unmoved  by  the  unlocked  for  circumstance. 
He  has  previously  given  himself  up  to  despair,  "  even  as 
taking  leave  of  this  miserable  world  ;rt — when  "  to  his 
dying  spirits  thus  God  added  some  comfort  in  this  melan 
choly  journey,  wherein,  if  he  had  met  any  of  that  vilde 
generation,  they  had  made  him  their  slave  ;  or  knowing 
the  figure  engraven  in  the  iron  about  his  necke  (as  all 

O  O  * 

slaves  have),  he  had  beene  sent  back  again  to  his  master." 
The  sign  of  the  cross,  at  the  foot  of  which  he  suddenly 
finds  himself,  was  the  sign  of  his  safety,  and  filled  him 
with  new  confidence  and  courage.  Now,  this  emblem 
was  only  one  of  many  which,  according  to  Smith's  ac 
count,  are  common  to  the  country.  It  is  by  such  symbols, 
adapted  to  the  particular  nation,  that  the  Mussulmen 
indicate  the  people  to  whose  territories  their  fingers 
point.  Thus,  while  the  cross  denotes  the  route  to 
Muscovy,  the  "  half  moone"  shows  that  "  to  Crym- 
Tartary  ;  "  a  blacke  man,  full  of  white  spots,"  guides 
to  Persia  and  the  Georgians  ;  and  "  a  picture  of  the 
sunne  to  China."  But  the  naturalness  of  this  discovery 
did  not  lessen  its  religious  influence  upon  him.  In 
this  sign,  even  more  certainly  than  in  the  case  of  Con- 


82  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

stantine,  lay  the  hope  of  our  adventurer.  He  darted 
exultingly  along  the  path  which  it  pointed  out,  and,  in 
dread  and  tribulation,  but  still  in  hope  and  without  dis 
aster,  he  pursued  for  sixteen  days  his  solitary  journey 
arriving  at  the  end  of  this  time  at  Ecopolis,  a  garrison  of 
the  Russians  upon  the  river  Don. 


CHAPTER    X. 

IT  was  the  peculiar  good  fortune  of  our  adventurer  in  aL 
situations  of  great  emergency  and  distress,  to  enlist  the 
sympathies  and  secure  the  assistance  of  individuals  of  the 
gentler  sex.  We  have  seen  the  place  which  he  seems  to 
have  taken,  almost  at  the  first  glance,  in  the  affections  of 
the  Turkish  damsel,  the  fair  Charatza  Tragabigzanda  ;  and 
his  arrival  at  Ecopolis  conducts  him  to  the  smiles  and 
bounty  of  another  lady,  equally  Christian  in  character,  and 
more  so  by  education.  This  was  the  lady  Callamata,  who 
"  largely  supplied  all  his  wants."  We  know  nothing 
more  of  her  than  this.  Nothing  is  said  in  the  narrative  to 
awaken  a  single  suspicion  of  the  perfect  purity  and  sim 
plicity  of  her  benevolence.  With  that  respectful  and  con 
siderate  regard  for  the  sex,  which  invariably  marks  the 
bearing  of  our  hero  when  he  approaches  them,  his  lan 
guage  is  frank  yet  unequivocal, — gentle  and  affectionate, 
yet  always  within  the  limits  of  a  becoming  warmth  and 
propriety.  "  The  Good  Lady  Callamata  largely  supplied 
all  his  wants,"  is  the  single  phrase  which  declares  his 
obligations  in  the  text.  Subsequently,  in  his  dedication 
of  the  "  Generall  Historic  of  Virginia,  &c.,"  to  the  "  Illus 
trious  and  most  noble  Princesse,  the  Lady  Francis,  Du- 
chesse  of  Richmond  and  Lenox,"  he  sums  up  his  general 
indebtedness  to  the  sex  in  a  single  paragraph,  for  which 
this  may  be  a  place  quite  as  appropriate  as  any.  Apolo 
gizing  for  his  presumption  in  calling  an  eye  "  so  piercing" 
and  "  so  glorious"  as  that  of  her  grace,  to  view  his  u  poore 
ragged  lines,"  he  is  yet  encouraged  by  the  recollection  of 
their  previous  kindness  and  indulgence.  "  .My  comfort  it 


84  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

that  heretofore  honorable  and  vertuous  ladies,  and  com" 
parable  but  amongst  themselves,  have  offered  me  rescue 
and  protection  in  my  greatest  dangers.  Even  in  forraine 
parts  I  have  felt  reliefe  from  that  sex.  The  beauteous 
Lady  Tragabigzanda,  when  I  was  a  slave  to  the  Turkes, 
did  all  she  could  to  secure  (succour  ?)  me.  When  I  over 
came  the  Bashaw  of  Nalbritz,  in  Tartaria,  the  charitable 
Lady  Callamata  supplied  my  necessities.  In  the  utmost 
of  many  extremities,  that  blessed  Pokahontas,  the  great 
King's  daughter  of  Virginia,  oft  saved  my  life.  When  I 
escaped  the  cruelties  of  Pirats  and  most  furious  stormes, 
a  long  time  alone  in  a  small  boat  at  sea,  and  driven  ashore 
in  France,  the  good  lady,  Madam  Chanoyes,  bountifully 
assisted  me.  And  so,  verily,  these  my  adventures  have 
tasted  the  same  influence  from  your  gratious  hand,  &c." 

This  is  all  perfectly  unexceptionable,  and  we  do  not 
perceive  in  this  accumulation  of  references  any  signs  of 
that  complacency  which,  in  the  case  of  such  a  person, 
having  such  a  history  to  unfold,  might  seem  pardonable 
enough.  What  is  said  in  regard  to  the  Lady  Callamata, 
does  not  show  her  to  have  been  influenced  by  any  feelings 
Jess  pure  and  more  passionate  than  that  of  a  human  and  a 
Christian  sympathy  and  pity.  But  some  of  his  eulogists 
are  less  forbearing,  and  make  larger  assertions  when  they 
come  to  deal  in  rhyme  ;  and  the  good  Lady  Callamata 
who,  for  aught  that  we  know,  may  have  been  an  ancien 
matron,  entirely  past  the  period  of  youthful  susceptibility, 
is  described  in  the  same  category  with  the  Turkish  dam 
sel,  who  only  waited  to  be  her  own  mistress  to  become 
his.  One  of  these  poets,  who  signs  himself  "  R.  Braith- 
waite,"  writes,  in  the  midst  of  other  doggerel,  such  lines  as» 
the  following  : 

"  But  what's  all  this  1    Even  earth,  sea,  heaven  above, 
Tragabigzanda, 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  85 

Dear  Pocahontas,  Madame  Shanois,  too, 

Who  did  what  love  with  modesty  could  do."  &c. 

We  see  no  reason,  and  find  no  authority  for  the  impu 
tation.  Smith  does  no  more,  in  the  case  of  this  lady,  than 
acknowledge  her  bounty  to  an  unfortunate.  And  this  is 
done  with  the  gentlemanly  solicitude  of  one  who  is  habitu 
ally  earnest  in  his  deference  to  the  sex.  That  his  per 
sonal  bearing  had  its  effect  upon  those,  of  both  sexes,  by 
whom  he  was  favorably  entertained,  is  very  likely.  That 
it  quickened  the  pulses  of  female  charity  is  probable 
enough.  He  seems  to  have  been  of  that  class  of  persons 
who  impress  favorably  at  a  glance  ;  was  manly  and  grace 
ful,  exceedingly  courteous  in  his  bearing,  frank  in  his 
deportment,  and  of  features  at  once  pleasing  and  impres 
sive.  He  finds  ready  credence  when  he  shows  himself, 
and  his  narrative  is  heard.  It  is  not  from  the  Lady  Cal- 
lamata  alone  that  he  finds  favor  at  Ecopolis.  The  gover 
nor  takes  off  his  irons,  treats  him  so  kindly  that  "  he 
thought  himself  new  risen  from  death ;"  and  when  he  is 
invigorated  and  prepared  to  depart,  gives  him  letters  of 
recommendation  and  the  protection  of  a  convoy  to  Her- 
manstadt,  in  Transylvania.  His  melancholy  s'ory  of 
captivity  precedes  him  on  his  route  ;  and  his  journey 
through  the  wretched  and  sterile  regions  which  he  is 
compelled  to  pass,  is  everywhere  soothed  by  the  attention 
of  the  people.  The  grateful  heart  of  our  adventurer 
prompts  him  to  declare,  that  "  in  all  his  life  he  seldome 
met  with  more  respect,  mirth;  content,  and  entertainment ; 
and  not  any  governor  where  he  came,  but  gave  him  some 
what  as  a  present  besides  his  charges."  The  sympathy 
of  the  people  was  due  in  some  degree  to  their  common 
liability  to  a  fate  such  as  that  from  which  he  had  the  good 
fortune  to  escape.  At  that  period,  the  wretched  country 
which  he  traversed  was  obnoxious  to  the  frequent  incur 


86  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

sions  of  the  Tartars  ;  and  it  was  but  seldom  that  the  peo 
ple  who  were  borne  into  captivity  were  so  fortunate  as  to 
be  able  to  return  and  tell  the  story.  The  story  of  our 
hero  was  one,  therefore,  which  found  its  echo  upon  the 
hearth  of  many  a  peasant.  Yet,  says  Smith,  "  it  is  a 
wonder  [that]  any  should  make  warres  for  them." — 
"  They  are  countries  rather  to  be  pitied  than  envied."  He 
pauses  to  describe  their  hovels,  which  are  like  the  meanest 
log-cabins  of  our  frontier ;  their  modes  of  defence  ;  their 
weapons  ;  and  the  manner  in  which  their  roads  are  con 
structed  ; — all  of  which  indicate  the  very  lowest  condition 
of  human  civilisation. 

Arrived  in  Transylvania,  he  had  the  satisfaction  of 
meeting  with  many  of  his  old  friends  and  associates,  who, 
knowing  his  worth  and  valor,  had  long  lamented  him  as 
amoiig  the  slain  on  the  fatal  field  near  Rottenton.  Among 
these  friends  were  his  colonel,  Meldritch,  and  Prince 
Sigismund.  They  received  him  with  open  arms,  and 
attentions  so  affectionate  and  warm,  that  he  professes  him 
self  u  glutted  with  content,  and  neere  drowned  with  joy." 
It  was  on  this  occasion  that  he  received  his  honors  from 
the  hands  of  Sigismund,  and  fifteen  hundred  ducats  of 
gold  to  repair  his  losses.  "  But  to  see  and  rejoyce  him- 
selfe  (after  all  those  encounters)  in  his  native  country," 
he  would  scarcely  have  torn  himself  away  from  his  friends 
in  Transylvania. 

The  liberality  of  Sigismund,  whom  he  styles  u  the 
mirror  of  virtue,"  enabled  him  to  traverse  a  considerable 
portion  of  Germany,  France,  and  Spain  ;  to  linger  in  their 
principal  cities,  and  visit  all  places  that  seem  to  promise 
most  gratification  to  his  curiosity.  It  is  probable  that 
while  his  ducats  lasted  he  found  sufficient  excitement  in 
the  populous  cities  of  Europe  ;  and  felt  no  great  thirst 
after  new  adventures.  He  forgets  for  a  season  that  he  was 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH  87 

hurrying  home  "  to  rejoyce  himself  in  his  native  country,': 
anr\  makes  a  tour  which  in  extent  would,  even  at  the  pre 
sent  day  of  steam  navigation,  do  honor  to  a  traveller  going 
ibroad  for  the  first  time.  Satisfied  at  length,  as  he  him- 
ielf  tells  us,  with  Europe  arid  Asia,  and  hearing  of  the 
wars  in  Barbary,  he  suddenly  feels  an  impulse  to  new 
adventures  m  this  quarter,  which  it  is  not  possible  for  him 
to  withstand.  In  all  probability  it  has  become  necessary 
to  replenish  his  pursp.  To  return  to  England  as  destitute 
as  when  he  left  it,  scarcely  comports  with  his  ambition  : 
and  though  he  tells  us  nothing  of  this  sort, the  suggestion 
is  by  no  means  inconsistent  with  his  own  conduct,  and 
with  the  nature  of  the  individual.  He  proceeds  accord 
ingly  to  the  African  coast,  where  he  forms  an  intimacy 
with  the  captain  of  a  French  man-of-war,  named  Merham, 
who  soon  became  attracted  to  our  adventurer,  and  appears 
to  have  become  quite  as  fond  of  him  as  the  Lady  Calla- 
mata.  With  this  person,  and  twelve  others,  he  goes  on 
an  excursion  to  Morocco,  the  ancient  monuments  of  which 
he  desired  to  examine.  He  gives  us,  in  the  space  of  a 
couple  of  chapters,  a  brief  but  comprehensive  account  of 
the  things  he  saw,  and  a  summary  of  what  he  had  learned 
by  reading  and  the  reports  of  others,  in  relation  to  the 
country  which  he  visited.  His  narrative  is  enlivened  by 
several  traditions  and  anecdotes  gathered  in  this  manner, 
and  characteristic  of  the  country  and  the  people,  which, 
as  they  do  not  in  any  way  concern  his  own  fortunes,  we 
forbear  to  notice.  His  conclusion,  from  his  inquiry  into 
the  politics  of  the  Barbary  States,  is  to  have  nothing  to  do 
with  either  party  in  the  civil  wars  by  which  the  country 
is  distracted,  and  which  first  drew  his  attention  to  its 
shores.  The  perfidious  character  of  the  natives,  "  their 
bloody  murthers,  rather  than  warre,"  only  provoke  his 
loathing  ;  and  he  returns  with  his  Frenchman,  Captain 


88  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

Merham,  to  the  man-of-war,  destined,  in  his  own  language, 
u  to  try  some  other  conclusions  at  sea." 

It  is  not  so  certain,  in  going  on  board  the  ship  of  Mer 
ham  a  second  time,  that  our  adventurer  proposed  to  take 
any  decided  step  with  him,  or  indeed  contemplated  any 
thing  more  than  a  brief  visit.  His  narrative  speaks  of  the 
visit  and  invitation  as  one  for  the  day  only  ;  two  or  three 
other  persons,  not  of  the  craft,  being  the  guests  also,  and 
with  similar  invitations.  But  the  welcome  of  the  French 
man  was  so  warm,  and  his  hospitality  so  grateful,  that 
whether  designedly  on  his  part  or  not,  they  linger  on 
board  too  late  to  return  to  the  shore  that  night,  and  are 
constrained,  not  unwillingly  we  fancy,  to  take  their  beds 
in  the  vessel.  The  evening  was  fair  at  first  and  pleasant, 
but  by  midnight  such  a  storm  arose  as  to  compel  our 
excellent  Frenchman  to  slip  his  cables,  and  carry  his 
guests  with  him  to  sea.  We  do  not  hear  that  Smith  ever 
complained  of  any  baggage  left  behind  him.  Our  French 
man  is  compelled  to  run  before  the  wind,  and  before  the 
parties  know  where  they  well  are,  his  ship  is  at  the 
Canaries.  This  flight  resolves  itself  into  a  cruise,  and  as 
the  storm  abated  and  the  seas  grew  smooth,  Merham 
amused  himself  and  guests  by  capturing  an  occasional 
vessel  laden  with  wine  of  Teneriffe  ;  thus  converting  a 
mishap  into  a  very  profitable  sort  of  exercise.  In  this 
pursuit,  however,  his  eagerness  carried  him  a  thought  too 
far,  and  pressing  all  sail  to  overhaul  two  strange  vessel? 
which  had  hove  in  sight,  he  suddenly  finds  that  he  has 
caught  a  Tartar,  in  the  shape  of  two  sturdy  Spanish  men- 
of-war,  far  superior  in  force  to  his  own.  But  this  does 
not  quell  the  spirit  of  our  Frenchman.  Merham,  whom 
Smith  calls  "•  an  old  fox,1'  u  seeing  himselfe  in  the  lion's 
pavves,"  showed  a  clean  pair  of  heels,  but  not  so  clean  as 
to  escape  altogether  the  consequences  of  his  temerity 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  89 

His  chase  had  been  too  eager  to  make  escape  easy,  though 
he  prided  himself  upon  his  vessel  as  a  fast  sailer.  The 
action  became  unavoidable,  and  was  one  of  those  fierce 
and  bloody  struggles  of  which  naval  history  in  all  times 
affords  us  so  many  terrible  instances.  The  Spaniards  fell 
upon  the  Frenchman  with  a  broadside,  and  succeeded, 
after  a  severe  fight  of  an  hour,  in  boarding  him.  The 
danger  was  imminent,  and  Merham's  ship  must  have  been 
carried  or  destroyed  but  for  certain  lucky  cross-bar  shots, 
and  "  divers  bolts  of  iron,  made  for  that  purpose,"  which 
at  the  fortunate  moment  drilled  such  a  breach  in  one  of 
the  Spaniards  as  left  her  in  a  sinking  condition.  Of  the 
consternation  which  ensued  in  the  injured  vessel  the 
Frenchman  availed  himself  so  as  to  disengage  his  ship 
from  the  grapplings  of  the  enemy,  and  to  renew  his  efforts 
at  escape.  But  the  chase  was  hotly  kept  up  by  one  of  the 
Spaniards,  and  a  running  fight  followed,  which  lasted  from 
noon  till  night.  By  this  time  the  pursuing  Spaniard  was 
rejoined  by  his  consort,  who  had  succeeded  in  repairing 
her  breaches,  and  the  two  together  continued  the  chase 
with  pertinacious  diligence  all  night.  They  succeeded  at 
length  in  overhauling  their  enemy  a  second  time,  and 
bringing  him  again  to  action  within  musket  shot.  On 
this  occasion  the  stately  Don  began  the  affair  with  un 
necessary  civility,  promising  the  Frenchman  fair  quarters 
if,  without  giving  them  farther  trouble,  he  would  surren 
der  to  the  flag  of  Spain.  But  Merham  had  no  surrender 
in  him.  He  knew,  as  Smith  tells  us,  "  well  how  to  use 
his  ordnance,"  and  his  answer  to  this  civil  soliciting  was 
made  by  his  cannon.  The  action  was  thus  renewed,  and 
the  assailants  a  second  time  succeeded  in  laying  the  chase 
aboard.  Our  Frenchman  fought  with  desperation,  but 
the  overwhelming  force  of  the  Spaniards  enabled  them 
*o  cover  his  decks,  and  to  rush  aloft  in  numbers  to  unsling 


90  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

his  mainsail.  This  he  contrived  to  bring  down  so  sud« 
denly,  while  they  were  yet  in  the  rigging,  as  to  place 
them  hors  da  combat ;  while  another  party  were  blown 
off  by  the  desperate  Frenchman,  with  a  part  of  the  deck 
and  the  grating.  These  achievements,  while  they  drove 
the  Spaniards  back  to  their  own  vessel,  left  that  of  Mer- 
ham  on  fire.  Drawing  off  to  escape  this  danger,  the 
Spaniards  kept  playing  upon  him,  seeking  his  destruction 
rather  than  his  capture,  which  the  desperate  valor  of  the 
Frenchman  seemed  to  render  impossible  j— while  on  board 
the  latter,  to  extinguish  the  flames  gave  sufficient  occupa 
tion  to  all  hands.  While  the  danger  lasted  none  could 
be  spared  for  the  scarcely  less  pressing  business  of  the 
conflict.  The  flames  were  at  length  extinguished,  and 
this  done,  Merham  renewed  the  fight  with  the  same  spirit 
as  before.  It  was  in  vain  that  his  enemies  proffered  to 
parley  with  him — to  grant  him  the  best  of  terms,  and 
admit  him  to  fair  quarters.  The  desperate  Frenchman 
had  but  one  answer,  and  that  was  through  his  cannon. 
And  thus  another  day  was  spent,  and  half  the  following 
night,  when  the  fire  of  the  enemy  slackened  and  the  dis 
tance  widened  between  the  combatants.  The  firm  cour 
age  and  reckless  valor  of  the  Frenchman  saved  him  •  for 
at  dawn  the  Spaniards  were  no  longer  to  be  seen.  This 
desperate  action  is  not  unlike  that  of  the  Serapis  and  the 
Bon  Homme  Richard.  Merham  must  have  been  a  warrior 
like  Paul  Jones ;  and  he  probably  found  a  worthy  lieu 
tenant  in  our  adventurer.  Smith  modestly  forbears  saying 
anything  about  his  own  deportment  in  the  action.  You 
would  scarce  suppose  him  indeed  to  have  been  present, 
but  for  his  evident  familiarity  with  all  its  details.  He 
describes  at  no  second-hand.  His  events  are  vividly  told, 
as  by  one  who  saw  them  all,  and  knew  their  motives  and 
their  consequences.  His  very  phraseology  has  a  sang- 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  91 

froid  about  it  which  seems  to  show,  not  only  that  he  be 
held,  but  that  he  enjoyed  fully  the  whole  terrible  affair. 
From  his  known  character  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he 
did  so,  and  shared  amply  in  all  its  dangers.  He  had 
always  rejoiced  in  the  excitements  of  w*».r,  and  the  une 
qual  conflict  invariably  warmed  his  chiyairy.  Reasoning 
from  all  that  we  know  of  his  genius  and  resolution,  we 
need  not  question  that  these  qualities  largely  seconded  our 
Frenchman  in  the  admirable  and  successful  defence  which 
enabled  him  to  beat  off  and  baffle  his  assailants. 


HOOK   SECOND. 


CHAPTER    I. 

W  i  have  now  to  change  the  scene  in  our  eventful  drama, 
a&-i  to  show  our  hero,  after  all  his  perils,  once  more  seated 
in  ^afety  within  his  native  land.  He  returned  to  England 
some  time  in  the  year  1604.  He  was  still  a  very  young 
man  to  have  undergone  such  vicissitudes  and  varieties  of 
fortune.  Few  young  men  at  twenty-five  have  ever  lived 
through  such  a  trying  experience.  But  this  experience 
had  made  a  man  of  him  indeed.  His  mind  had  ripened 
•with  his  toil,  his  judgment  had  become  matured  in  field.- 
of  danger,  and  in  the  life-conflict  with  a  thousand  necessi 
ties;  and  without  losing  any  portion  of  that  energy  of  cha 
racter,  and  enthusiasm  of  spirit  and  of  temperament,  which 
had  forced  him  upon  the  paths  of  enterprise,  and  made  the 
field  of  peril  grateful  to  his  impulses,  he  was  now  better 
prepared  than  ever  to  convert  these  admirable  qualities  of 
courage  into  useful  and  efficient  agencies  for  the  prosecu 
tion  of  great  designs 

It  was  at  a  season  highly  auspicious  to  the  exercise  of 
these  endowments  that  he  returned  to  his  native  country. 
The  spirit  of  colonial  enterprise  which,  at  a  previous 
period,  had  been  excited  beyond  the  boundaries  of  reason 
and  prosperity  oy  the  successful  examples  and  discoveries 
of  the  Portuguese  and  Spaniards,  and  which  numerous 
disasters  had  tended  to  discourage  and  subdue,  had,  undei 


L  I  F  E     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  93 

more  favoring  circumstances  received  a  new  impulse  to 
exertion.  The  first  effect  upon  the  English  people  of  the 
unfolding  by  Columbus  of  the  ponderous  gates  of  the  At 
lantic,  had  been  rather  injurious  than  serviceable  to  the 
interests  of  maritime  and  colonial  adventures ;  and  the 
reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth  was  distinguished  by  hopes  and 
passions,  founded  upon  discovery  in  the  new  world,  such 
as  no  exertions  in  the  adventurer,  and  no  resources  in 
nature, could  have  possibly  appeased  or  realized  It  was, 
in  the  first  place,  a  subject  of  mortification  to  the  English 
that  their  sovereign  had  rejected  'the  eminent  services  of 
Columbus  ;  and  the  growing  interests  of  commerce,  under 

O  O  ' 

the  wise  and  powerful  administration  of  Elizabeth,  goaded 
tn  especial  by  their  jealousy  of  the-  Spaniards,  and  furthei 
stimulated  by  the  recent  grand  defeat  of  the  "  Invincible 
Armada,"  enabled  them  to  see,  in  some  degree,  how  vast 
had  been  this  sacrifice.  The  commercial  mind  of  Eng 
land  was  not  disposed  to  yield  El  Dorado  entirely  to  the 
Spaniard,  and  this  mind,  succored  by  an  intellect  more 
daring  and  perhaps  more  influential  than  its  own,  was  soon 
enabled  to  diffuse  throughout  the  national  heart  an  intense 
passion  for  discovery  and  colonization  in  America.  The 
eager  eyes  of  popular  desire  were  opened  upon  a  realm  of 
equal  loveliness  and  treasure,  which  cupidity  and  curi 
osity  became  equally  anxious  to  explore.  The  master 
spirits  of  the  age  surrendered  themselves  to  this  passion. 
The  voice  of  the  nation  seconded  the  impulse,  and  the 
very  difficulties  which  the  jealous  Spaniard  contrived  to 
throw  in  the  way  of  other  empires  seeking  a  similar  path 
with  himself,  contributed  to  confirm  the  wild  impressions 
which  had  gone  into  all  lands  of  his  miraculous  treasures 
in  the  new.  Romance  took  possession  of  the  theme  and 
dressed  it  in  her  richest  habiliments.  The  sanguine  gave 
their  credence,  and  the  sedate  and  doubtful  knew  not 


94  L  (  F  E      O  F      C  A  P  T  A  I   X       S  M   I  T  !I  . 

how  to  deny.  The  policy  of  many  among  the  wise  seemed 
to  render  denial  injudicious,  since,  in  the  prosecution  of  u 
great  work,  the  argument  to  the  convert  must  be  such  as 
his  nature  will  most  readily  receive.  And  yet  it  is  very 
doubtful  if  the  very  wisest  among  them  did  not  acknow 
ledge  as  probable  the  gorgeous  fictions  narrated  of  the 
new  world,  which  the  experience  of  the  old  had  never 
yet  found  true.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  himself,  a  man  of 
not  less  intellect  than  ambition,  whose  character,  by  the 
way,  bold,  sanguine  and  impulsive,  martial  in  spirit  and 
curious  in  research,  very  much  resembled  that  of  Smith, 
though  with  the  advantages  of  far  better  training  in  youth, 
and  more  approved  associations  in  manhood  ;  he,  too,  was 
one  of  those  who  certainly  deceived  themselves  quite  as 
much  as  they  deceived  others,  yielding  a  too  willing  faith 
to  their  own  fancies.  In  his  day  and  that  of  Queen  Eliza 
beth,  the  vulgar  mind  everywhere  in  Europe  was  possess 
ed  of  impressions  in  regard  to  America  which  were  worthy 
only  of  the  fairy  empires  of  Aladdin;  and  the  popular  histo 
ries  of  the  new  continent  were  better  suited  to  the  invention 
of  a  quick-witted  sultana*  in  danger  of  the  bowstring, than 
the  sober  speculations  of  the  sage  and  reverend  grey-beards 
with  whom  they  found  such  ready  credence  and  respect. 
Seen  through  this  happy  medium  it  was  the  land  equally 
of  refuge  and  delight.  To  the  boy-dreamer  about  Arcadia 
and  the  golden  age,  it  offered  all  that  imagination  could 
conjecture  and  Astrsea  could  supply.  To  the  veteran, 
grown  grey  in  stratagems  and  spoils,  without  having  grown 
strong  in  their  retention,  it  opened  the  most  easy  paths  for 
the  attainment  of  his  selfish  objects.  Freedom  from  all 
restraints  of  law,  and  conflict  only  with  a  people  entirely 

•  Scheherazade,  the  sultana — see  Introductory  Chapter  to  the  Ara 
bian  N~'ght*'  Enfrrtmnments. 


LIFE   OF   CAPTAIN   SMITH.         95 

put  without  its  pale  and  protection,  were  considerations 
beyond  price  to  the  habitual  ruffian,  who,  in  the  world 
itself,  found  nothing  more  precious  than  an  oyster  which 
he  was  permitted  to  open  with  his  sword  ;  and  England, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  continent,  was  filled  with  u  men  in 
buckram"  such  as  these.  To  the  disbanded  soldiery  of 
the  Low  Countries  in  particular,  to  which  England  had 
sent  her  full  share  of  discontents  and  profligates — the  pros 
pect  of  conflict  with  the  native  savages  in  a  region  where 
gold  had  a  vegetable  period  of  birth  and  growth,  and  was 
to  be  had  for  the  gathering,  was  rather  more  grateful 
as  the  medium  for  the  acquisition  of  wealth  than  the 
wretched  drudgery  of  the  ordinary  tasks  of  industry.  To 
the  young  and  fanciful  the  same  wild  regions  offered  the 
romance  of  eternal  forests,  the  beauty  of  strange  land 
scapes,  and  the  foreign  charms  of  a  race  of  dusky  and  con 
fiding  beauties,  not  to  speak  of  that  exquisite  twilight  pic 
turesque,  which  ever  paints  the  far-off  and  the  foreign  in 
the  natural  landscape.  Others  again,  the  enthusiasts  in 
the  world  of  contemplation,  longed  for  the  subdued  plea 
sures  of  a  life  passed  in  solitude — a  passion,  which  is  so 
frequently  found,  in  youth,  to  possess  for  a  season  the 
hearts  of  those  who  are  equally  ambitious  and  energetic, 
and  who  seem  in  this  way  to  find  a  necessary  repose  of 
the  mind  before  it  is  bent  and  strained  to  its  uttermost 
tension  in  aiming  at  objects  which  call  for  great  decision 
and  endeavor.  To  another  class,  religion  came  with  her 
persuasions  also ;  and  her  arguments,  urged  in  behalf  of 
the  heathen  of  the  strange  countries  not  yet  admitted  into 
the  fold  of  Christ,  afforded  specious  pretexts,  by  which 
avarice  and  ambition  contrived  to  deceive  their  neighbors, 
and  not  unfrequently  themselves.  These  various  motives, 
commerce  and  cupidity,  romance,  ambilion  and  religion, 
were  still  sufficiently  influential,  in  spite  of  numerous  com- 


96  LIFE    OF    CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

plete  defeats,  in  enterprises  of  the  same  desci  ption,  to 
bring  together  many  a  motley  band  to  whom  the  forests 
of  America  promised  full  satisfaction  for  all  the  desires  of 
their  hearts.  To  these  may  be  added  yet  another  class, 
of  whom  Walter  Raleigh  himself  and  our  own  hero,  Smith, 
may  be  mentioned  as  sufficient  specimens,  who  loved  ad 
venture  for  its  own  sake,  who  never  looked  to  the  mere 
personal  rewards,  and  not  often  or  too  closely  to  the  conse 
quences,  and  who  were  better  pleased  to  be  doing  and 
achieving,  even  if  suffering  also,  than  in  the  acquisition  of 
the  spoils,  or  even  the  honors  of  the  achievement. 

Smith's  arrival  in  England  was  singularly  opportune, 
not  only  as  it  regarded  his  own  employment,  but  in  rela 
tion  to  the  success  of  the  experiment,  now  once  more  to 
be  renewed,  which  had  always  met  before  with  failure. 
He  brought  to  the  work  a  degree  of  courage  and  expe 
rience,  of  skill  and  resourc;-,  which  made  him  a  person  of 
mark  wherever'he  appeared.  He  wras  not  Ion fj  in  making 
liiniaelf  known  to  those  who  took  most  interest  in  mari 
time  adventure  ;  and  indeed  his  reputation  had  in  some 
measure  preceded  him,  and  prepared  the  public  mind  to 
regard  him  as  one  particularly  fitted  for  the  exigencies  of 
the  time  and  its  peculiar  object.  That  object  was  scarcely 
of  so  vague  and  deceptive  a  character  as  it  had  been  in 
the  previous  reign.  The  actual  experience  acquired  by 
British  mariners  in  the  time  of  James  the  First,  had  fur 
nished  a  greater  body  of  facts,  on  the  subject  of  foreign 
countries, to  the  nation,  than  it  had  possessed  during  the 
sway  of. Elizabeth.  The  defeat  of  the  Armada  was  one  of 
the  great  events  to  which  the  English  people  owe  their 
rapid  progress  upon  the  high  seas.  It  taught  them  an 
increased  confidence  in  their  skill  and  prowess,  the  results 
of  which  were  steadily  increasing,  under  the  exercise  of 
their  powers,  and  these  powers  were  mainly  exercised  in 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  97 

the  business  of  discovery  in  foreign  lands.  It  may  be 
Well,  for  the  better  comprehension  of  our  history,  to  glance 
briefly  at  the  progress,  in  this  particular,  during  the  reign 
of  Elizabeth.  A  brief  space  will  suffice  for  this  object. 
The  commercial  career  of  England  may  be  said  to  have 
begun  in  the  time  of  Henry  the  Seventh,  in  the  maritime 
labors  and  discoveries  of  the  Cabots.  At  that  early  period 
it  was  proposed  to  plant  colonies  in  the  new  world.  The 
reign  of  his  successor,  though  hardly  favorable  to  the  com 
merce  of  his  kingdom,  was  yet  not  wholly  unmarked  by 
events  which  showed  how  certainly  mercantile  adventure 
was  determined  to  make  itself  felt  among  the  great  inte 
rests  of  the  nation.  The  blood  of  the  old  Northmen  was 
too  large  a  constituent  of  the  stock  to  be  satisfied  with  the 
progress  upon  the  seas  of  other  and  rival  nations,  without 
being  desirous  of  contending  with  them  upon  an  element 
which  seems  really  to  belong  to  the  genius  of  the  people. 
Voyages  of  discovery  were  undertaken  in  the  time  of 
Henry  VIII.  ;  and  a  spirit  sufficiently  maritime  was  shown 
to  awaken  the  special  jealousy  of  the  Spaniard.  The 
statutes  of  Edward  VI.  continued  to  favor  this  rising  and 
ambitious  interest ;  nor  could  the  bigotry  of  Mary,  who 
succeeded  him — the  creature,  as  she  was,  of  a  purely 
Spanish  influence — suffice  to  check  the  excited  and  na 
tural  tendencies  of  the  nation.  The  elevation  of  Elizabeth 
gave  a  new  vigor  to  the  efforts  of  her  people  in  this,  as  in 
all  other  of  the  interests  of  the  kingdom.  Her  successful 
resistance  to  Spain  may  be  said  to  have  placed  England 
fairly  afloat  upon  the  high  seas.  Her  ships  penetrated  at 
the  same  time  the  waters  of  the  East  and  West,  and  were 
at  the  same  moment  in  the  rivers  of  Russia,  the  bays  of 
Newfoundland,  and  among  the  Spanish  galleons  in  the 
harbors  of  Spanish  America.  Seeking  a  northwest  pas 
sage,  the  possibility  of  effecting  which  had  been  asserted 


98  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

by  Cabot,  Frobisher,  in  a  small  vessel,  made  his  way  to 
the  shores  of  Labrador  ;  and,  by  these  brilliant  illusions, 
"  golden"  all,  first  prompted  Elizabeth  to  an  exhibition 
of  royal  patronage  in  an  attempt  to  look  for  the  precious 
metals  in  arctic  abodes,  at  the  very  time  Drake  was  gain 
ing  that  glory  which  redeems  his  name  from  the  charge 
of  piracy  by  the  circumnavigation  of  the  globe.  Sir  Hum 
phrey  Gilbert,  the  step-brother  of  Raleigh,  shared  his 
passion  for  discovery,  and  we  may  add  his  fortunes.  With 
more  moderate  views  of  the  results  of  adventure,  and  more 
rigorous  and  reasonable  aims,  he  obtained  a  liberal  patent 
and  put  to  sea  in  1579.  But  the  event  was  failure  and 
mortification.  A  second  attempt  .was  more  unfortunate 
still,  and  the  stout  old  mariner  perished  at  sea. 

Raleigh's  experiments  followed  those  of  his  step-bro 
ther,  and  were  scarcely  more  successful.  His  vessels, 
under  the  Captains  Amidas  and  Barlow,  coasted  the  Caro- 
linas  in  1584,  penetrated  Ocracocke  inlet,  and  formal  pos 
session,  with  the  usual  ceremonies,  was  taken  of  the 
country ;  which,  in  honor  of  the  "  Virgin  Queen,"  was 
called  Virginia.  On  this  occasion,  however,  no  settlement 
was  attempted.  That  was  reserved  for  the  ensuing  year, 
when,  •  nder  the  same  charter,  a  colony  of  one  hundred 
and  eight  men  was  confided  to  Sir  Ralph  Lane.  The 
settlement  was  made  on  the  island  of  Roanoke,  and  some 
fruitless  explorations  were  made  in  the  neighboring  coun 
try.  But  a  single  year  sufficed  for  the  experiment,  when 
the  colonists  abandoned  their  lonely  hamlet  and  returned 
to  England.  Fifty  men,*  left  by  Sir  Richard  Grenville,  in 
1586,  in  charge  of  the  deserted  settlement,  were  massacred 
in  a  little  while  ;  their  miserable  remains  alone  being  found 

*  Bancroft  says  fifteen  ;    Smith  and  others  fifty.     The  latter  seen* 
the  more  probable  number. 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  9fc 

in  and  about  their  ruined  habitations,  in  warning  to  then 
successors.  But  Raleigh  was  not  yet  discouraged.  A 
new  colony  was  planted,  and  this  time  the  solitude  and 
sterility  of  the  wilderness  were  cheered,  in  the  eyes  of  our 
Englishmen,  by  the  presence  of  woman.  But  theis  did 
not  avail.  The  history  of  the  colony  is  a  blank.  Of  its 
(ate  we  know  nothing.  But  a  single  authentic  fact 
remains  to  us  ;  namely,  that  during  its  brief  existence  of 
little  more  than  a  year,  one  female  child  was  born  in  the 
wilderness  to  the  foreign  settlers,  and  received  the  name 
of  Virginia,  after  the  European  name  of  the  country. 

Raleigh  was  a  ruined  man.  He  could  no  longer  pursue 
his  enterprises  on  the  strength  of  his  own  resources  ;  but 
still  resolute  in  his  experiments,  he  endeavored  to  do  so 
by  means  of  companies.  Unhappily  for  himself  and  his 
cause,  his  personal  attempts  were  all  made  in  other  lati 
tudes.  Had  he  himself  but  led  his  colonists  to  Virginia, 
instead  of  wasting  himself  in  fruitless  researches  aftei 
mines  in  Guiana,  his  own  fate  and  that  of  the  colonies  in 
North  America  might  have  been  far  more  fortunate.  His 
enterprises  seem  really  to  have  failed  through  the  misera 
ble  incompetency,  the  want  of  moderation,  prudence,  skill 
or  courage,  among  his  agents.  But  his  spirit  survived 
himself! 

This  disastrous  history  wonderfully  tended  to  subdue 
the  eagerness  of  English  adventure  in  colonizing  North 
America.  As  John  Brierton,  one  of  the  adventurers  of  a 
later  day,  expresses  it,  "  all  hopes  of  Virginia  t^us  aban 
doned,  it  lay  dead  and  obscured  from  1590  till  this  year 
1602."  Then  it  was  that  Bartholomew  Gosnold  made  his 
way  across  the  Atlantic,  and,  contenting  himself  with  a 
cargo  of  sassafras,  returned  to  England  after  an  absence 
of  four  months.  This  voyage  renewed  the  subject  in 
men's  minds  of  Virginia  colonization.  A  second  expedi- 


100  LIFE       OF'      C  A   P  T  AIM       S  M  1  T  H  . 

tion,  consisting  of  two  small  vessels,  was  sent  out  by  pri 
vate  adventurers,  under  Martin  Pring — only  a  few  days 
after  th»  death  of  Elizabeth — and  this  voyage  was  also 
comparatively  successful,  met  with  no  disaster,  but  made 
DO  settlement.  Other  expeditions  followed.  The  way, 
still  an  indirect  one  (for  the  direct  passage  was  very  gra 
dually  attained)  became  at  length  fairly  opened,  the  path 
way  familiar,  and  moderate  successes  stimulated  anew 
the  passion  for  maritime  adventure,  which  had  been  sick 
ened  so  completely  by  disaster,  and  by  the  failure  of  ali 
its  brilliant  anticipations. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  English  discovery  in  America, 
and  such  the  condition  of  the  popular  mind  in  England, 
when  Smith  reached  his  native  country  from  abroad.  We 
are  not  told  where  his  French  cruiser  set  him  down,  nor 
in  what  manner  he  passed  from  the  continent  of  Europe  to 
Great  Britain  ;  but  there  we  find  him  somewhere  in  Ib04, 
already  busy  in  urging  upon  the  public  the  claims  of  Vir 
ginia  to  colonization,  and  linking  his  fortunes  with  those 
of  Bartholomew  Gosnold,  Edward  Maria  Wingfield, 
Robert  Hunt  and  others.  An  ample  patent  was  obtained, 
but  nothing  more,  from  James  the  First,  with  leave  to 
"  deduce  a  colony  into  Virginia."  Circumstances  were 
in  favor  of  the  experiment.  The  time  for  American  colo 
nization  had  arrived.  The  route  across  the  Atlantic  was 
comparatively  familiar,  and  the  wild  and  wondrous  character 
of  the  enterprise  having  been  taken  from  it  in  some  degree 
by  the  absolute  facts  of  which  the  public  were  in  possession, 
secured  for  it  the  support  of  a  more  steady  and  solid, 
though  a  less  imposing  countenance.  The  edge  of  romance 
had  been  somewhat  taken  from  the  appetite  of  adventure, 
and  though  the  precious  metals  were  still  the  objects  of 
insane  search  and  speculation,  and  though  the  accounts 
were  still  extremely  exaggerated  in  all  the  descriptions  of 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  101 

Virginia,  yet  there  was  no  longer  that  wild  fancy  which 
taught  that  the  gold  was  to  be  had  for  the  gathering,  and 
all  was  to  be  smiles,  and  sunshine,  and  smooth  sailing  in 
the  experiment.  There  was  work  to  be  done,  and  dangers 
were  to  be  met,  and  toils  endured  ;  and  hence  the  impor 
tance  of  a  man  like  Smith,  to  whom  these  were  not  only 
familiar  but  grateful.  It  required  the  active  parties  more 
than  a  year  of  zealous  service  in  England  before  they 
could  move  "certain  of  the  nobility,  gentry  and  mar- 
chantes".  to  entertain  their  schemes;  in  other  words,  fur 
nish  the  necessary  funds  for  their  prosecution — Gosnold, 
Wingfield,  Hunt,  Smith  and  others,  being  thought  to  have 
risked  quite  enough  when  they  perilled  their  lives  upon 
the  adventure.  The  letters  patent,  bearing  date  April 
10th,  1606,  were  issued  to  Sir  Thomas  Gates,  Sir  George 
Somers,  Richard  Hackluyt  and  their  associates.  This, 
the  first  charter  under  which  the  English  succeeded  in 
planting  a  colony  in  America,  was  one  which  was  design 
ed  to  establish  a  mercantile  corporation.  It  allotted  a  suf 
ficiently  ample  territory,  extending  on  the  sea-coast  of 
America  from  the  thirty-fourth  to  the  forty-fifth  degrees 
of  north  latitude,  together  with  all  islands  within  a  hun 
dred  miles  of  their  shores.  This  was  to  be  divided  be 
tween  two  rival  companies,  —  one  of  which,  however- — 
that  in  which  Smith  was  a  leader — alone  succeeded,  and 
to  this  alone  will  our  attention  be  directed.  The  territory 
actually  yielded  by  the  charter  to  the  one  company,  occu 
pied  exclusively  "  the  regions  from  thirty-four  to  thirty- 
eight  degrees  of  North  latitude  ;  that  is,  from  Cape  Fear 
to  the  southern  limit  of  Maryland."  The  territory  was 
ample,  but  the  charter  was  one  of  the  narrowest  limita 
tions.  The  selfish  monarch  granted  nothing  but  a  desert 
waste  of  forest,  with  the  privilege  of  peopling  and  subdu 
ing  it,  reserving  to  himself  all  Authority.  He  framed  the 


102  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

laws,  controlled  the  appointments,  and  looked  largely  to 
the  future  revenues.  With  that  morbid  jealousy  of  his 
sovereign  prerogative,  which  rendered  him  tyrannical, 
when  nature  perhaps  only  designed  that  he  should  be  ridi 
culous,  he  tenaciously  took  to  himself  the  labor  of  devis 
ing  the  whole  scheme  of  the  colonial  government ;  and 
contrived — very  happily  as  he  thought,  but  very  unroyally 
as  we  may  be  permitted  to  think,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
blindness  and  peevishness  of  the  whole  proceeding — tc 
withhold  from  the  emigrants  themselves  every  elective 
franchise,  to  deny  them  every  attribute  of  self-government. 
"  They  were  subjected,"  to  employ  the  language  of  a  mo 
dern  historian,*  "  to  the  ordinances  of  a  commercial  cor 
poration,  of  which  they  could  not  be  members  ;  to  the 
dominion  of  a  domestic  council,  in  appointing  which  they 
had  no  voice  ;  to  the  control  of  a  superior  council  in  Eng 
land,  which  had  no  sympathies  with  their  rights ;  and, 
finally,  to  the  arbitrary  legislation  of  their  sovereign." 
This  was  only  so  much  rare  fooling,  by  which  the  feeble 
king  endangered  the  power,  in  the  assertion  of  which  his 
morbid  jealousy  kept  him  in  continual  and  feverish  appre 
hension.  The  transmission  of  this  miserable  quality  of 
jealousy  to  his  unhappy  descendants, without  his  own  ac 
companying  love  of  approbation,  was  the  true  secret  of  all 
that  was  vile  and  wrretched  in  their  subsequent  career  and 
fate. 

But  the  folly  of  James  did  not  end  here.  The  names 
of  governor  and  council,  and  his  instructions  how  they 
should  proceed,  were  all  carefully  sealed  up  and  confided 
to  them  in  a  strong  box,  not  to  be  opened  till  after  their 
arrival  in  Virginia  They  were  consequently  under  no 
authority  until  that  period,  and  to  this  circumstance  some 
^^^^^^^^  » 

*  Bancroft. 


LIFE   OF   CAPTAIN   SMITH.        103 

of  the  misfortunes  which  marked  their  voyage  may  be 
ascribed.  Their  squadron  consisted  of  three  small  vessels, 
the  largest  not  exceeding  one  hundred  tons  burthen  ;  the 
whole  being  under  the  command  of  Captain  Christopher 
Newport,  an  experienced  mariner.  The  colonists  were 
but  one  hundred  and  five  in  number,  of  whom  we  learn 
that  forty-eight  were  gentlemen,  twelve  were  laborers,  four 
were  carpenters,  one  was  a  blacksmith,  one  a  bricklayer, 
one  a  tailor,  one  a  mason,  one  a  barber,  one  a  drummer, 
but  one  a  sailor,  two  were  chirurgeons,  and  there  were 
four  boys.  The  exceeding  disproportion  between  the 
gentlemen  and  the  mechanics  and  laborers  reminds  us 
irresistibly  of  the  limited  allowance  of  bread  to  sack  in  the 
domestic  economy  of  Falstaff.  Why  gentlemen  should 
be  wanted  in  a  wilderness  would  somewhat  puzzle  the 
philosopher  ;  and  of  those  who  went  on  this  expedition 
we  have  a  sufficient  glimpse,  contained  in  a  single  passage 
of  the  narrative  of  William  Simons,  reported  by  Smith, 
who  describes  **  some  few  of  the  greatest  ranke  amongst 
us  as  little  better  than  atheists." 


CHAPTER    II. 

THUS  motley  in  the  composition  of  their  members,  the 
colonists  set  sail  from  Blackwall,  on  the  19th  day  of  De 
comber,  1606 — a  little  more  than  one  hundred  years  after 
the  discovery  of  the  continent  by  Cabot.  The  commence 
ment  of  their  voyage  was  inauspicious,  and  its  progress 
was  unhappy.  They  were  not  suffered  for  six  weeks  after 
anchor  had  been  weighed,  by  reason  of  contrary  winds,  to 
lose  si^ht  of  the  English  coast.  In  this  time  our  adven- 

O  O 

turers  employed  themselves  in  the  most  scandalous  dissen 
sions,  which  arose  at  length  to  such  a  height  of  violence 
as  to  task  all  the  best  efforts  of  the  more  judicious  among 
them  to  maintain  the  peace.  Mr.  Hunt,  the  preacher,  a 
mild  and  sensible  person,  who  had  actively  participated 
with  Smith,  Gosnold,  and  Wingfield,  in  originating  the 
adventure,  now  approved  himself  worthy  of  the  Christian 
ministry  in  the  activity  which  he  displayed  in  restoring 
harmony,  or  at  least  the  appearance  of  harmony,  among 
these  ungenial  spirits.  But  it  was  an  appearance  only,  to 
be  thrown  aside  upon  the  first  new  provocation,  however 
slight.  The  substance  of  peace  was  wholly  wanting  to 
the  company.  The  elements  among  them  were  of  too 
mixed  and  conflicting  character  ;  and  these  elements,  from 
the  silly  commands  of  the  king,  that  their  instructions 
should  not  be  opened  until  they  had  reached  Virginia,  by 
leaving  them  without  any  recognized  authority,  left  them 
free  to  the  indulgence  of  all  their  capricious  moods  and 
impulses.  What  share  Smith  had  in  these  troubles  and 
controversies  does  not  appear.  We  are  left  only  to  con 
jecture  from  what  we  know  of  his  claims  and  character, 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  105 

and  from  what  is  subsequently  revealed  to  us  of  his  treat 
ment,  that  the  provocation  to  their  violence,  in  all  proba 
bility,came  from  him.  That  he  was  the  true  man  of  the 
expedition  was  probably  very  soon  apparent  to  all  parties. 
That  he  was  not  the  most  beloved  on  this  account,  is  a 
fair  presumption  from  what  we  know  of  the  insolence,  the 
insufferable  pride  and  vanity  of  many  of  his  companions. 
The  account  from  which  we  draw  our  own,  at  this  point 
of  the  narrative,  is  that  of  William  Simons,  "  Doctour  of 
Divinitie,"  who  was  not  of  the  voyage,  but  who  is  very 
likely  to  have  procured  his  intelligence  from  Hunt.  Si 
mons  distinctly  ascribes  this  dissension  to  envy  of, and  hos 
tility  to  Smith,  on  the  part  of  those  "  godlesse  foes,  whose 
disasterous  designes  (could  they  have  prevailed)  had  even 
then  overthrowne  the  businesse."  The  history  is  a  com 
mon  one,  and  the  motive  insisted  upon  is,  unhappily,  in 
the  weak  and  vicious  state  of  our  depraved  humanity, 
natural  enough.  The  world-man  cordially  hates  the  God- 
man,  and  will  destroy  him  if  he  can  ;  and  the  conflict, for 
life,and  for  all  lives,is  inevitable  between  them.  We  can 
readily  conceive  how  such  a  man,  so  taught  by  experience 
and  all  sorts  of  fortune,  should,  in  their  wretched  wind- 
bound  and  storm-impeded  progress  to  the  Canaries,  have 
given  provocation  in  a  thousand  ways,  by  his  very  address 
and  energy  and  natural  command  of  character,  to  the  herd 
of  conceited  gentlemen  sent  out  to  seek  their  fortunes,  by 
whom  he  found  himself  surrounded.  Easy  for  such  a 
man,  among  such  men,  to  stir  up  the  acrid  humors,  tc 
provoke  bile,  and  bitterness,  and  wrath.  His  unquestiona 
ble  genius,  his  notorious  experience,  his  noble  aspect,  his 
ready  decision,  these  in  all  probability  acquired  him  a 
command  during  the  voyage,  in  place  of  the  sealed  author 
ity  of  King  James,  to  which  a  peevish  vanity  would  not 
always  be  ready  to  submit.  The  storm  which  Preacher 


106  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

Hunt  had  partially  quieted,  burst  forth  with  new  violence 
when  the  little  fleet  of  Newport  reached  the  Canaries. 
Here,  having  matured  their  schemes,  the  malcontents 
seized  upon  the  person  of  our  adventurer  and  committed 
nim  to  close  custody,  under  charges  equally  ridiculous 
and  scandalous,  of  sedition  and  treason  to  the  crown- 
"  some  of  the  chiefe  (envying  his  repute)  who  fained  he 
intended  to  usurpe  the  Government,  murther  the  Coun 
cil,  and  make  himselfe  King  ;" — a  truculent  conspirator  to 
be  sure — and  a  that  his  confederats  were  dispersed  in  all 
the  three  ships,  and  that  divers  of  his  confederats  that 
revealed  it  would  affirme  it."  Smith  seems  to  have  sub 
mitted  patiently,  waiting  events,  economising  his  strength 
and  courage,  wasting  nothing  in  vain  struggles,  vexing 
nobody  with  vain  complaint — but  manfully  biding  his 
time,  and  looking  calmly  to  the  coming  trial.  For  thirteen 
weeks  such  was  his  condition.  Meanwhile,  our  little 
fleet  proceeded  to  the  West  India  islands.  It  had  pur 
sued,  as  we  see,  the  old  circuitous  route, — the  path  which 
the  Genoese  had  first  opened  with  his  prows.  At  Domi 
nica  they  took  in  water,  carried  on  a  smart  trade  with  the 
a  salvages,"  and  enjoyed  a  refreshing  respite  of  three 
weeks  on  shore  ;  in  which  it  is  very  possible  that  our  pri 
soner  was  not  permitted  to  share.  Fortunately,  he  is  one 
who  has  ably  learned  the  great  lesson  of  endurance.  He 
waits  in  his  chains  with  what  philosophy  he  m*y,  while 
the  dominant  party  regale  themselves  among  the  soft  airs 
and  the  delicious  fruits  and  flowers  of  the  tropics.  If  he 
is  to  be  sovereign  in  Virginia  he  can  very  well  afford  to 
wait. 

At  length  the  voyage  is  resumed,  and  our  little  fleet 
steered  northward,  searching  for  the  island  of  Roanoke. 
Three  days  had  they  passed  their  reckoning,  yet  found  no 
land.  The  discontents  increased,  and  Captain  Ratclifle, 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  107 

ot   one    f    the  vessels,  was  urgent  with  them  to  abandon 
the  whole  expedition  and  return  again  to  England.     Such 
was  the  infirmity  of  purpose,  the  feebleness  of  will,  and 
utter  worthlessness   of  resolve  among  the  very  "  chiefes" 
who  were  most  hostile  to  our  adventurer.     Luckily,  while 
yet  they  debated,  a  violent  storm  which  compelled  them 
to  hull  it  all   night  under  bare  poles,  drove  them  towards 
the  desired  coasts,  which  they  made  on  the  26th  of  April 
1607.     The  Bay  of  Chesapeake,  a  word  signifying  in  the 
Indian  dialect  "  mother  of  waters," — a  name   admirably 
applied — received   the   weary    and   exhausted  wayfarers. 
To  the  first  land  which  they  descried  they  gave  the  name 
of  Cape  Henry,    to  the   opposite  Cape   that  of  Charles; 
and  the  point  of  land  which  breasted  the  pleasant  harbor 
age   in   which   they   dropped    their    anchors,  they  called 
"  Comfort,"  in  tuiv'     of  the  grateful  emotions  with  which 
its  appearance  had  filled  their  bosoms.     The  beauty  of  the 
scene  around  them  sank  sensibly  into  their  hearts,  soften 
ing  their  moods,  and   elevating  all   their  fancies.      The 
green  plains,  with  their  great  trees   and  wanton  foliage, 
dipping  into  the  very  lips  of  the  ocean,  now  just  beginning 
to  flush  and    brighten  in   the   embrace   of   spring,  were 
doubly  beautiful   in  the  eyes  of  those  so  long  saddened 
with  only  the  aspect  of  the  sea.     The  world  of  wood  and 
waste,  green  and  fresh /  which  spread  away  with  hill  and 
dale,  crowned  with  the  profuse  luxuriance  of  the  unbroken 
forest,  seemed   to  them  to  embrace   a  very  paradise,  in 
which  they  might  well  delight  to  plant  their  homesteads, 
fully  assured  that  it  was  under  the  especial  eye  of  heaven. 
Smith,  in  his  pleasure  at  the  prospect,  speaks  fully  for  the 
rest.     "  Within,"  says  he,  "  is   a  country  that  may  have 
the  prerogative  over  the  most  pleasant  places  knowne." 
*    *    *    «  Heaven  and  earth  never  agreed  better  to  frame 
a  place  for  man's  habitation,  were  it  fully  manured  and 


108  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

inhabited  by  industrious  people.  Here  are  mountaines, 
hills,  plaint's,  valleyes,  rivers,  and  brookes,  all  running 
most  pleasantly  into  a  faire  bay,  compassed,  but  for  the 
mouth,  with  truitfull  and  delightsome  land." 

The  land  which  they  had  discovered  had  never  been 
seen  by  any  of  them  before.  Their  destination  had  been 
the  island  of  Roanoke,  distinguished  by  previous  attempts 
at  colonization.  The  aspect  of  the  region  which  rose  up 
around  them, in  all  the  magnificence  of  its  primeval  state, 
in  its  unpruned  luxuriance  and  beauty,  seemed  to  promise 
full  satisfaction  for  all  their  desires;  and,  availing  them 
selves  of  the  discretion  which  had  been  allowed  them, 
they  preferred  rather  to  try  the  experiment  of  a  colony  in 
this  attractive  country,  than  to  continue  their  search  after 
a  spot  which  was  really  only  known  to  them  by  disaster. 
A  party  of  thirty  of  them  went  ashore  at  Cape  Henry  to 
u  recreate  themselves,"  and  received  an  unexpected  les 
son  of  caution — which,  however,  did  not  avail  them  to  any 
great  extent — in  consequence  of  the  assault  of  five  Indians, 
who  crept  upon  them  from  the  hills,  and  though  beaten 
off  by  the  terrors  of  their  muskets,  wounded  two  of  the 
party  very  severely  with  their  arrows.  They  were  thus 
warned  that,  if  the  country  was  beautiful,  its  inhabitants 
were  brave — a  lesson  too  frequently  taught  by  them  in 
long  succeeding  conflicts  to  be  easily  forgotten  by  those 
whose  fortune  it  is  to  possess  the  pleasant  places  of  their 
inheritance. 

Virginia  being  now  reached,  it  may  be  well  to  see  in 
what  manner  the  British  Solomon  proposes  that  the  new 
colony  shall  be  governed.  The  sealed  box  of  their  in 
structions  was  accordingly  opened  on  the  night  of  their 
arrival,  and  the  documents  were  spread  before  the  colo 
nists.  By  these  it  was  discovered  that  the  council  was  to 
onsist  of  Edward  Maria  Wing  field  Bartholomew  Gosnold. 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  109 

John  Smith)  Christopher  Newport,  John  Radcliffe^  Tohn 
Martin,  and  George  Kendall.  These  were  to  serve  for 
one  year,  and  to  elect  their  president  from  among  theru- 
eelves.  This  is  all  that  concerns  us  to  know  of  these 
instructions,  and  the  way  that  they  were  disposed  of.  It 
does  not  appear  that  Smith  was  present  at  the  opening  of 
the  seals.  He  was  still  in  bonds  ;  still  waiting  with  pa 
tience  for  the  coming  of  his  hour. 

To  select  a  proper  spot  for  a  settlement,  our  colonists 
were  employed  seventeen  days.  During  this  period  they 
were  busy  in  the  work  of  exploration.  The  treasures  of 
the  earth  and  of  the  deep  were  searched  for  with  industry. 
in  the  latter  they  groped  for  oysters,  which  lay  in  places 
as  "  thick  as  stones,"  and  the  former  they  found  covered 
with  a  flowers  of  divers  kinds  and  colors,"  and  "  goodly 
trees,  cedars,  cypress,  and  other  kinds,"  goodly  as  ever 
seen  by  British  voyager  before  and  elsewhere.  Straw 
berries,  too,  refreshed  their  eyes  and  lips,  u  fine  and  beau 
tiful,"  four  times  bigger  and  better  than  ours  in  England." 
A  brave  world  at  first  beginning  tor  our  discontents. 
*'  Pleasant  springs  issue  from  the  mountains,"  u  the  good 
liest  cornfields  ever  seen  in  any  country,"  salute  their 
eyes,  and  give  ample  guarantee  against  famkie  ;  and  they 
are  refreshed  by  th-e  fumes  of  tobacco  from  the  pioes  of 
savages,  who  give  them  a  more  friendly  welcome  than 
that  which  they  met  from  the  five  creeping  scoundrels  at 
Cape  Henry.  These  invite  them  to  their  towns  of  Ke- 
coughtan  and  Rappahannock,  spread  their  mats  for  them 
when  they  come,  feed  them  with  hominy  when  theyhun 
ger,  and  teach  them  to  smoke  a  pipe  after  the  repast. 
"  As  goodly  men"  as  our  Europeans  "  had  ever  seen"  are 
these  savages  j  no  ways  savage,  gentle,  quite  civil  indeed  ; 
their  werowance,  or  chief,  coming  at  their  head  to  meet  the 
strangers,  playing  on  a  flute  made  of  a  reed,  with  a  crown 


110  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

of  deer's  hair,  colored  red,  in  fashion  of  a  rose,  fastener' 
about  his  knot  of  hair,  and  a  great  plate  of  copper  on  the 
other  side  of  his  head,  with  two  long  feathers  in  seeming 
of  a  pair  of  horns  placed  in  the  midst  of  his  crown.  Scarce 
ly  a  Christian  costume  in  the  eyes  of  Christians,  but  not 
amiss  in  the  thinking  of  our  Virginians.  As  we  are  to 
have  much  future  commerce  with  this  people  it  may  be 
as  well  to  continue  this  description,  which  comes  to  us 
from  the  pen  of  George  Percy,  a  brother  of  the  Earl  of 
Northumberland,  a  volunteer  in  the  expedition,  who  has 
given  us  a  very  interesting  narrative  to  be  found  in  Pur- 
chas. 

"  His  body  (that  of  the  Werowance)  was  painted  all 
with  crimson,  with  a  chain  of  beads  about  his  neck ;  his» 
face  painted  blue,  besprinkled  with  silver  ore,  as  we 
thought ;  his  ears  all  behung  with  bracelets  of  pearl,  and 
in  either  ear  a  bird's  claw  through  it,  beset  with  fine  cop 
per  or  gold.  He  entertained  us  in  so  modest  a  proud 
fashion,  as  though  he  had  been  a  prince  of  civil  govern 
ment  :" — as  we  suspect  he  wras,  Mr.  Percy,  after  the 
fashion  of  his  country.  The  Indians  were  armed  u  with 
bows  and  arrows  in  a  most  warlike  manner,  with  the 
swords  at  their  backs  beset  with  sharp  s-tones  and  pieces 
of  iron,  able  to  cleave  a  man  in  sunder.1" 

Penetrating  a  spacious  river,  which  the  Indians  called 
Powhatan,  after  their  king,  but  which  our  no  less  loyal 
colonists  subdued  into  the  James,  in  honor  of  him  from 
whom  they  had  received  so  liberal  a  charter,  and  such 
admirable  counsels,— the  little  fleet  of  Ne\vport  ascended 
for  a  space  of  forty  miles  from  its  mouth.  Here  they 
fastened  their  vessels,  in  six  fathoms  of  water,  to  trees 
growing  upon  the  shore,  and,  landing  upon  a  peninsula  on 
the  north  side  of  the  river,  they  fixed  upon  it  as  the  site 
of  the  ir  future  settlement.  4'  A  vr.rie  fit  place, "  pays 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  Ill 

Smith,  "  for  the  erecting  of  a  great  citie  :"  though  it 
seems  that  there  was  some  difference  of  opinion  among 
the  captains  even  then  upon  this  subject ;  and  subsequent 
experience  seems  to  have  proved  the  propriety  of  the 
doubt.  But  here,  nevertheless,  the  majority  so  willing  it, 
on  the  13th  day  of  May,  1607,  the  axe  was  buried  in  the 
trees,  and  the  first  shafts  were  hewn  out  for  the  foundation 
of  the  forest  city  of  the  Royal  James, — henceforward  to  be 
called  Jamestown.  But  the  foundation  of  the  city  was  a 
small  and  trivial  event  to  that  of  the  great  nation  which 
has  yet  grown  from  this  small  beginning:  and  he  whose 
eye  beholds  now  upon  this  memorable  but  neglected  spot 
no  trophy  more  significant  than  the  rents  of  ruin  in  the 
arches  of  a  single  tower  overgrown  with  ivy,  and  the  rank 
forest  growth  which  denotes  the  mound  where  sleep  the 
bones  of  the  early  settlers,  will  scarcely  be  persuaded  that 
he  beholds  the  obscure  nest  and  birth-place,  as  iowly  as 
that  of  the  sea-fowl  which  leaves  her  eggs  along  the 
shore,  of  the  great  nation  whose  wing  now  spreads, or  is 
fast  spreading,  over  the  whole  vast  continent  of  North 
America.  Such  is,  nevertheless,  the  simple  and  the 
startling  truth  !  One  hundred  and  ten  years  have  elapsed 
from  the  discovery  of  the  country  by  Sebastian  Cabot, 
and  twenty-two  since  Raleigh  first  attempted  unsuccess 
fully  its  colonization.  From  this  memorable  movement 
the  tree  takes  root,  in  the  future  shade  of  which  a  mighty 
people  are  to  find  shelter,  and  in  the  fruits  of  which  a 
.thousand  generations  are  to  gather  strength  and  sustenance. 
Verily,  we  may  not  look  upon  that  ruin  of  a  town,  that 
low  and  lonely  remnant  of  our  royal  hamlet,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river  Powhatan,  with  unconcern  and  indiffer 
ence  ' 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE  site  of  their  future  habitations  chosen,  the  first  duty 
of  our  council  was  to  appoint  a  President.  Their  choice 
fell  upon  Mr.  Wingfield,  by  \vhom  the  members  of  the 
council  were  sworn  to  the  performance  of  their  duties. 
From  this  privilege  Smith  was  especially  excluded  ;  the 
president  declaring  his  reasons  for  the  exclusion  in  a 
speech,  which  we  may  easily  suppose  embodied  the 
several  charges  which  had  been  made  against  him,  of 
treason  and  sedition.  We  can  readily  understand  the  pro 
priety,  nay,  the  absolute  necessity  of  excluding  from  a 
seat  in  tlv  jrovernment,  an  individual  who  stood  under 
such  imputations  ;  and  though  the  exclusion  was  in  direct 
disobedience  of  that  authority  under  which  they  acted  as 
a  council,  yet  we  are  of  opinion  that  it  is  a  vital  constitu 
ent  of  every  social  or  political  body  to  be  able  to  deter 
mine  who  shall  properly  appear  among  them.  It  certainly 
does  not  seem  an  injustice — assuming  that  the  members 
of  the  council  are  themselves  free  from  improper  agency 
in  the  matter — that, while  such  charges  are  pending  over 
the  head  of  an  associate,  they  should  refuse  to  grant  him 
an  exercise  of  power  which  might  contribute  to  the  pro 
motion  of  the  dangerous  designs  which  he  is  supposed  to 
meditate.  Ard  we  are  bound  to  believe,  until  the  issue 
is  known,  that  the  council  consists  of  honest  men,  who  are 
only  solicitous  of  what  is  right.  At  all  events,  Smith 
makes  no  complaint.  You  hear  no  triurniurs  lYorn  hi.s  lips. 
tie  is  cool  and  resolute,  patient  as  strong  rm  n  generally 
are,  not  anxious  about  the  result,  pretty  well  assured,  in- 
deecl,  v*  hat  it  must  be.  He  knows  the  persons  with 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  113 

whom  he  has  to  deal ;  has  sounded  their  depths  already, 
and  is  familiar  with  all  their  shallows.  What  is  more,  he 
knows  himself — his  innocence  and  his  resources  equally  ; 
and  steadily  maintaining  his  temper  and  his  calmness,  he 
fortifies  himself  in  the  daily  increasing  confidence  and 
affections  of  those  whose  morbid  vanities  are  not  mortified 
by  his  evident  superiority  of  character. 

But  though  his  services  are  rejected  from  the  council- 
seat,  they  are  not  to  be  slighted  when  the  toils  and  perils 
of  the  field  are  to  be  undertaken.  The  colony  is  quite  too 
feeble  to  forego  the  vigor  of  any  able-bodied  man,  and 
as  soon  as  the  work  begins  we  find  our  adventurer  busy 
with  the  rest  in  providing  for  the  security  and  comfort  of 
the  settlement.  Trees  are  to  be  felled,  forts  to  be  raised, 
wigwams  built,  and  clapboards  are  to  be  split  for  freight 
ing  the  returning  vessels — our  patrons  at  home  requiring 
as  rapid  return  for  the  outlay  as  possible.  Each  man  is 
assigned  a  labor  suited  to  his  capacities  ;  and  while  some 
are  engaged  upon  the  tents  and  cabins,  some  in  the  forest 
hewing  trees  and  getting  clapboards,  others  are  weaving 
bushes  into  a  shelter  for  their  homesteads,  and  others  are 
laying  out  gardens,  and  are  preparing  gins,  snares,  and 
nets  for  the  taking  of  game  and  fish.  In  any  of  these 
labors  we  may  be  sure  that  Smith  would  hold  his  hand 
with  the  best.  But  he  is  required  for  other  toils  ;  and  as 
soon  as  things  begin  to  be  tolerably  secure  and  comforta 
ble  in  the  settlement,  he  is  despatched  with  Captain  New 
port  and  twenty  others  on  a  voyage  of  exploration  up  the 
river  of  Powhatan.  He  offers  no  objection  to  this  service, 
though  nothing  is  said  of  his  trial,  and  he  is  still  denied 
the  place  in  council  which  his  sovereign  has  assigned  him. 
But  Smith  is  superior  to  his  enemies.  He  entertains  no 
sulks,  has  no  petty  revenges,  but  conscientiously  having 
the  good  of  the  colony  at  heart,  cheerfully  goes  upon  the 


114  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

duty  which  is  assigned  him.  They  ascend  the  river  to 
the  hamlet  of  Powhatan  himself,  the  great  chief  of  the 
country,  who  dwelt  near  the  falls,  and  just  below  the 
present  site  of  Richmond.  This  prince  is  described  as  a 
"  tall,  well-proportioned  man,  with  stern  countenance,  a 
head  somewhat  grey,  his  beard  quite  thin  and  insignificant, 
his  limbs  straight,  his  person  erect,  of  an  able  and  hardy 
frame,  equal  to  any  labor,  and  at  the  time  of  making  the 
acquaintance  of  the  English,  near  sixty  years  of  age."  He, 
is  the  Emperor  of  all  the  country  surrounding  Jamestown  for 
a  space  of  sixty  miles — is  supposed, out  of  a  population  of 
six  or  eight  thousand,  to  be  able  to  bring  from  fifteen  hun 
dred  to  two  thousand  warriors  into  the  field.  Dwells  in 
some  state  at  his  royal  hamlet  of  Powhatan,  but  has  nu 
merous  residences  ;  is  ordinarily  attended  by  a  body  guard 
of  forty  or  fifty  of  the  tallest  men  in  his  country ;  and  a 
strict  military  discipline  environs  his  dwelling-place  with 
guards  day  and  night,  who  regularly  relieve  each  other, 
and  who  neglect  or  slumber  in  their  watches  at  peril  of  a 
bastinado,  not  unlike  that  of  the  Turkish  in  its  severity. 
Like  the  Turk,  he  has  his  Hareem,  his  religion  offering  no 
limit  to  his  appetite.  When  weary  of  his  women,  he  be 
stows  them  upon  his  favorites.  His  power  seems  to  have 
been  a  pure  despotism  ;  though  it  appears  that  under  par- 
ticuW  r-ircumstances  his  subjects  are  permitted  the  rare 
privilege  of  grumbling.  They  exercise  this  privilege 
when  Smith  and  Newport  visit  the  emperor  at  his  village. 
They  resent  the  intrusion  of  the  strangers  ;  but  Powhatan 
with  better  policy,  quiets  their  apprehensions  while  seek 
ing  to  disguise  his  owrn.  "  They  are  harmless — they  wanl 
nothing  but  a  little  land."  A  little  land  !  The  poor 
savages  little  know  how  nearly  allied  to  a  land's  safety 
and  their  own  is  the  knowledge  of  its  value.  Powrhatan 
Created  the  English  with  a  lofty  courtesy.  He  was  no 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAfX      SMITH.  115 

common  man  among  his  tribe  A  born  sovereign,  he  ex 
tended  his  domains  by  conquest,  and  absorbed  the  con 
quered  people  among  his  own.  He  was  of  an  ambitious 
and  fearless  nature,  but  rendered  cautious  by  the  usual 
training  of  the  savage.  An  object  of  fear  and  awe  among 
his  subjects,  the  presence  of  the  whites,  among  whom  he 
evidently  inspired  no  such  sentiments,  was  ungracious  to 
his  eyes  ;  but  with  the  sagacious  instincts  of  a  strong 
mind,  he  saw  at  a  glance  that  he  had  to  deal  writh  a  supe 
rior  race,  arid  the  weapon  which  he  proposed  to  employ 
against  them  was  one  the  use  of  which  was  familiar  to 
his  genius — treachery. 

Nobody  could  have  been  treated  with  more  kindness 
and  courtesy  than  were  Smith  and  Newport  by  our  Indian 
Emperor.  Indeed,  the  entertainment  which  marked  their 
progress  among  the  Indians  was  one  of  the  warmest  hos 
pitality.  They  were  everywhere  received  with  dancing 
and  feasting.  The  food  spread  before  them  consisted  of 
bread  and  fish,  strawberries,  mulberries,  &c.  ;  in  return 
for  which  the  Indians  received  the  most  precious  baubles 
in  the  shape  of  bells,  beads,  pins,  needles,  and  looking- 
glasses,  which  made  them  the  happiest  of  mortals  for  the 
time.  Powhatan  himself  furnished  them  with  a  guide  to 
explore  the  river,  receiving  a  warrior  as  a  hostage  "  in 
pawn  "  for  the  Indian.  In  this  progress  Smith  exhibits 
his  customary  acuteness  of  remark,  and  his  vigilance  of 
examination  into  all  that  met  his  eyes.  He  has  left 
us  a  considerable  body  of  facts,  collected  on  this  and  sub 
sequent  voyages,  illustrative  of  the  manners  and  habits  of 
the  Indians ;  their  costume,  their  religion,  their  super 
stitions,  their  modes  of  going  to  war,  and  all  the  peculiari 
ties  in  short  which  distinguish  their  condition,  and  all  the 
facts  or  traditions  which  could  illustrate  their  history. 
These  materials,  to  this  day,  furnish  the  ample  storehouse 


116  LIFE      0>       CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

for  the  student  seeking  a  knowledge  of  the  condition  of 
the  aborigines  of  Virginia  and  the  surrounding  countiies 
at  the  period  of  the  English  settlement. 

Having  pursued  their  voyage  of  discovery  until  the 
river  ceased  to  be  penetrable  by  their  prows,  our  voyagers 
returned  to  Jamestown — their  return  somewhat  hurried  by 
something  suspicious  in  the  demeanor  of  certain  of  the 
Indians  on  their  route.  It  may  be  that  Smith  and  New 
port  were  rendered  farther  doubtful  by  the  evident  incom- 
petency  of  the  president,  Wingfield.  This  man,  who  is 
described  as  a  "  grovelling  merchant  of  the  West  of  Eng 
land,"  seems  to  have  been  filled  with  an  insane  or  idiotic 
jealousy  of  his  own  people,  and  would  not  only  permit  of 
no  martial  exercise  or  display  among  them,  but  actually 
arrested  their  labor  in  the  erection  of  the  necessary  forts 
for  the  safety  of  the  colony,  so  that  of  this  work  no 
thing  was  done,  but  what  was  achieved,  almost  in  his 
despite,  by  the  extraordinary  diligence  of  one  of  the  cap 
tains.  A  rude  fortification  in  the  shape  of  a  half  moon> 
consisting  only  of  the  boughs  of  trees  heaped  together 
offered  the  only  physical  .obstacle  to  the  savages,  who  it 
appears  were  suffered  to  come  and  go  at  pleasure,  their 
pacific  behavior  entirely  disarming  the  English  of  their 
caution.  The  result  was  to  be  expected.  The  colonists 
were  suddenly  surprised  by  a  force  of  four  hundred  Indians, 
and  but  for  the  timely  aid  afforded  by  the  fire  from  the  ship 
ping  they  would  have  been  cut  off  at  a  blow.  Scattered 
about  at  their  different  occupations,  some  in  the  woods? 
some  at  their  gardens,  and  all  unprepared — their  very 
weapons  not  convenient  to  their  hands — seventeen  of 
them  were  wounded  at  the  first  onset,  and  one  boy  was 
slain.  A  cross-bar  shot  from  the  cannon  of  the  shipping, 
rending  the  limbs  from  the  trees  above  the  heads  of  the 
Indians^  vickily  astounded  them  with  a  danger  of  unknown 


LIFE      OF      C  A  P  T  A  I  >      SMITH.  117 

character,  and  dispersed  them  for  the  time,  affording  the 
English  an  opportunity  to  place  themselves  under  cover, 
and  prepare  for  their  defence.  The  members  ot  the  coun 
cil  were  among  the  sufferers.  Most  of  them  were  hurt, 
and  the  President,  Wingfield,was  now  better  persuaded  to 
risk  something  at  the  hands  of  his  own  people,  in  order  to 
make  the  settlement  secure  against  the  open  enemy.  Our 
chronicles  afford  us  no  light  on  the  subject  of  his  appre 
hensions.  It  is  not  said  why  this  overweening  jealousy 
of  one  another  was  entertained  among  the  colonists.  The 
fear  seems  to  have  mainly  lurked  among  the  members  of 
the  council,  and  we  are  left  to  conjecture  entirely  as  re 
gards  its  origin.  We  have  but  a  single  clue  to  a  mystery 
which  seems  so  difficult  of  solution  ;  and  this  occurs  to 
us  in  the  case  of  Smith.  That  he  was  a  man  of  desperate 
valor,  was  well  known  to  his  associates  ;  that  he  was  a 
favorite,  calculated  equally  to  lead  and  to  persuade  among 
the  common  people,  was  sufficiently  apparent.  It  had 
been  found  necessary  to  the  success  of  the  settlement 
that  he  should  be  suffered  to  leave  his  prison  and  go  forth 
upon  his  duties  with  the  rest.  Was  it  the  guilty  con 
sciousness  of  the  wrong  which  they  had  done  him,  that 
made  them  dread  to  place  weapons  in  the  hands  of  nis 
followers  and  friends — that  would  "  admit  no  exercise  at 
armes," — and  even  arrested  the  progress  to  completion  of 
the  very  fortress  which  was  meant  as  a  cover  against  the 
common  enemy,  lest,  in  a  passionate  mood  and  in  a  favora 
ble  moment,  he  should  rise  suddenly,  and  take  vengeance 
for  his  wrongs.  In  all  probability  this  wretched  appre- 
nension  was  the  true  secret  of  the  insane  jealousy  and 
weakness  of  the  President. 

The  fort  was  now  palisadoed,  the  ordnance  mounted, 
the  men  duly  armed  and  exercised  ;  and  it  appears  not  a 
moment  too  soon.  The  first  alarm  at  the  discharge  of  the 


118  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

ordnance  being  over,  the  savages  came  back  to  the  assault, 
and  their  attacks  were  frequent.  They  watched  the  pro 
gress  of  the  colonists  with  a  degree  of  hostility  that  never 
suffered  an  opportunity  of  doing  mischief  to  escape  them. 
They  ambushed  the  forest  paths ;  and  the  keen  eye,  and 
nimble  foot,  and  deadly  arrow  of  the  savage,  made  it  a 
death-peril  for  the  colonists  who  straggled  off  without  pro 
tection  from  the  garrison.  "  What  toyle  we  had,  with  so 
small  a  power,  to  guard  our  workmen  a  dayes,  watch  all 
night,  resist  our  enemies,  and  effect  our  businesse, — to 
relade  the  ships,  cut  downe  trees,  and  prepare  the  ground 
to  plante  our  come," — may  be  readily  conjectured.  But 
the  ships  were  at  length  laden  ;  and  now  that  they  were 
ready  to  depart,  our  President  gave  Captain  Smith  a 
kindly  intimation  that  he  should  depart  with  them  for 
England.  The  council  was  pleased  benignantly  to  refer 
him  for  censure  to  the  council  in  England  under  general 
charges,  rather  than,  by  trying  him  themselves,  with  the 
proofs  in  their  possession,  endanger  his  life,  destroy  his 
reputation,  and  make  his  good  name  odious  to  the  world. 

This  was  cunningly  devised.  But  they  were  yet  to 
know  the  man  with  whom  they  had  to  deal,  It  was  be 
cause  he  valued  his  good  name  and  his  reputation,  rather 
than  his  life,  that  he  scorned  their  pretended  indulgence, 
defied  them  to  the  proof  of  his  guilt,  and  demanded  his 
trial  on  the  spot.  And  now  it  was,  that  his  patience,  his 
manly  bearing,  his  good  conduct,  courage,  and  character, 
while  in  bonds  and  under  accusation,  produced  their  full 
effects.  He  had  grown  strong  in  all  opinions.  His  inno 
cence  and  the  malice  of  his  foes  had  made  themselves 
apparent  to  the  whole  company  in  the  thirteen  weeks  of 
his  confinement,  and  the  six  subsequent  weeks  in  which 
he  had  enjoyed  comparative  liberty.  The  council  did 
not  dare  refuse  him  the  trial  which  he  demanded,  and  the 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  119 

result  was  a  triumphant  acquittal.  It  was  something  more 
than  an  acquittal.  It  was  redress  and  indemnity.  He 
convicted  his  enemies  of  their  malice;  the  persons  whom 
they  had  endeavored  to  suborn  against  him  confessing 
the  facts,  and  accusing  the  accusers  of  their  subornation. 
So  utterly  disproved  were  the  charges  which  were  urged 
against  him,  and  so  notoriously  malicious,  that  he  was 
acquitted  by  acclamation  ;  and  the  President,  in  whom 
they  originated,  was  condemned  to  pay  iwo  hundred 
pounds  damages — a  sum  which  Smith  at  once  applied  to 
the  necessities  of  the  colony.  His  magnanimity  was  not 
to  be  outdone  by  their  justice.  His  seat  in  council  was 
withheld  no  longer  ;  and  this  occasion  was  seized  upon  by 
the  worthy  preacher,  Mr.  Hunt,  with  "  good  doctrine  and 
exhortation,"  to  appease  this  and  other  animosities,  which 
had  sprung  up  among  his  flock.  On  the  ensuing  Sabbath 
they  all  partook  of  the  communion,  in  confirmation  of  the 
sincerity  and  Christian  character  of  their  reconciliation. 
Peace  was  formally  made  the  next  day  with  the  Indians  ; 
and  leaving  the  colony,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  four 
persons,  under  these  pleasant  auspices,  Newport  sailed  on 
the  15th  of  June  for  England,  promising  in  twenty  weeks 
to  return  with  fresh  supplies. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE  pleasant  auspices  under  which  Newport  left  the 
colony  did  not  long  continue.  The  colonists  began  to 
suffer  from  the  oppressive  heats  of  summer.  They  were 
strangers  to  the  climate,  and  engaged  in  labors  for  which 
no  previous  training  had  prepared  them.  Their  food  was 
bad,  consisting  of  wheat  and  barley,  which,  having  been 
kept  for  six  months  in  the  hot  hold  of  a  ship,  was  now 
rather  bran  than  corn,  and  contained  quite  as  many  worms 
and  insects  as  grains  !  While  the  vessels  remained,  the 
evil  had  not  been  so  severely  felt.  They  enjoyed  a  daily 
allowance  of  ship's-biscuit,  for  which  they  paid  the  sailors 
in  "money,  saxefras,  furres,  or  love."  Their  departure 
cut  off  this  supply.  The  ships  had  been  the  taverns  of 
our  colonists.  With  them  went  hotel,  and  brewhouse,  and 
bakery.  cc  Had  we  beene  as  free  from  all  sinnes  as  glut 
tony  and  drunkennesse,"  says  our  narrative,*  with  a  sad 
enough  sort  of  humor,  u  we  might  have  been  canonized 
for  saints."  The  common  kettle  was  all  that  remained 
to  them,  and  even  of  this  the  individual  allowance  was 
inadequate.  Half  a  pint  of  wheat  and  as  much  barley, 
was  as  much  as  the  President  allowed  per  day  for  each. 
To  himself  he  was  much  more  indulgent.  He  engrossed 
for  his  private  use,  the  "  oatmeale,  sacke,  oyle,  aqua  ml&, 
beefe,  egges,  or  what  not,1'  liberally  forbearing,  however, 


*Chap.  II.  of  third  Book  of  Smith's  Virginia,  and  evidently  in 
great  part  from  the  pen  of  Smith  himself,  though  signed,  "  written  by 
T/iomas  Studley,  the  first  cape  merchant  in  Virginia,  Robert  Fentont 
Edward  Harrington,  and  /.  S."  Smith  (I.  S.)  probably  wrote,  and 
the  others  signed  with  him  as  witnesses. 


LIFE     OF     (JAi'TAIN     SMITH.  121 

to  touch  the  contents  of  the  common  kettle.  u  Our  drinke 
was  water,"  says  one  melancholy  humorist,  "  our  lodgings 
castles  in  the  ayre."  Such  diet  and  lodgings,  coupled 
with  severe  labors,  constant  and  diligent  watch,  in  the 
oppressive  summer  climate  of  that  region,  were  fatal  to 
European  health  and  strength.  In  a  short  time  after  the 
departure  of  the  ships,  so  extreme  was  the  suffering  that 
scarcely  ten  men  of  the  hundred  were  able  to  stand. 
Gosnold  died  ;  Smith,  Martin,  and  Radcliffe  were  all 
dangerously  sick,  and  so  were  most  of  the  soldiers  Fifty 
of  them  were  buried,  and  those  who  survived  were  in 
danger  of  starvation.  Their  provisions,  worthless  as  they 
had  become,  were  soon  consumed  ;  and  from  June  until 
September  they  lived  only  upon  sea-crabs  and  sturgeon. 
Very  good  living,  too,  it  will  be  said,  for  famishing  men ; 
but  these  they  had  to  snare  and  take  for  themselves, 
almost  too  feeble,  from  long  sickness,  for  toils  so  moderate. 
But  the  sea-crabs  and  sturgeon  finally  disappeared  from 
the  waters,  and  the  terrors  of  famine  returned  upon  them. 
At  this  very  time  our  wretched  colonists  had  reason  to 
apprehend  an  inroad  from  the  Indians,  who  during  the 
midsummer  had  given  them  a  little  respite.  Even  while 
they  suffered  from  this  cruel  condition  and  melancholy 
prospect,  the  selfish  wretch  to  whom  they  had  confided 
the  Presidency  was  secretly  meditating  his  own  flight  to 
England  in  the  pinnace,  leaving  them  to  their  fate.  He 
had  probably  exhausted  his  private  stores,  and  was  now 
disposed  to  fly  from  the  suffering  which  he  had  been  wil 
ling  neither  to  relieve  nor  share.  His  treachery  was  dis 
covered,  and  so  much  moved  the  colonists,  in  spite  of  their 
languor  and  prostration,  that  they  deposed  him  and  put 
RadclifFe  in  his  place.  This  was  substantially  placing 
Smith  at  the  head  of  affairs.  Radcliffe  was  incompetent  ; 
"  of  weak  judgment  in  dangers,  and  lesse  Industrie  in 


122  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

peace."  He  was  perfectly  satisfied  that  Smith  should 
relieve  him  of  the  toils  of  his  office  and  its  responsibilities 
together.  The  result  of  this  change  was  instantly  appa 
rent  in  the  improved  aspect  of  affairs.  The  manhood  of 
Smith's  character  became  conspicuous  the  moment  that 
he  felt  his  burdens.  Still  feeble  from  sickness,  not  well 
recovered,  he  at  once  addressed  himself  to  his  tasks,  as 
vigorously  as  when  he  fought  the  Turks  at  Regall,  and 
made  his  way  from  Nalbritz  to  Wallachia.  When  he 
began  his  new  labors  there  were  no  houses  to  cover  the 
settlers ;  the  tents  were  rotten,  and  the  cabins  worse  than 
useless.  The  chief  men  were  sick  or  malcontent,  the 
"  rest  being  in  such  dispaire,  as  they  would  rather  starve 
and  rot  with  idleness  than  be  persuaded  to  do  any  thing  fcr 
their  owne  reliefe  without  constraint."  With  such  neces 
sities  to  encounter,  with  such  materials  to  work  with, 
Smith,  by  good  words,  fair  promises,  and  his  own  exam 
ple,  succeeded  in  setting  some  to  build,  some  to  mow, 
others  to  bind,  and  others  again  to  thatch — always,  how 
ever,  tasking  himself  beyond  any  of  the  rest.  In  this  way 
he  managed  to  provide  comfortable  dwellings  for  all  but 
himself,  and  to  give  to  Jamestown,  for  the  first  time,  the 
appearance  of  a  decent  hamlet.  In  these  labors  he  seems 
to  have  met  with  little  resistance,  if  he  found  but  little 
sympathy  and  succor.  The  council,  in  consequence  of 
the  death  of  Gosnold,  the  departure  of  Newport,  and  the 
expulsion  of  Kendall — who  had  been  concerned  in  tha 
schemes  of  Wingfield — consisted  only  of  RadclifFe,  Martin, 
and  Smith  ;  and  of  these  Radcliffe  and  Martin  were  still 
upon  the  sick-list,  neither  of  them  being  very  much  be 
loved  or  very  competent.  It  happened  fortunately  for  the 
colony  that  Smith's  exertions  were  seconded  by  the  favora 
ble  aspect  of  the  Indians,  who,  with  their  usual  caprice  of 
chararter,  suddenly  laid  aside  their  bows  and  arrows,  and 


LIFE   OF   CAPTAIN   SMITH.        123 

brought  supplies  of  maize,  greatly  needed,  to  barter  with 
the  Europeans.  This  supply  lasted  for  some  time.  With 
out  waiting  to  see  it  all  consumed,  Smith  prepared  to 
provide  against  that  event.  And  here  our  adventurer 
takes  occasion  to  meet  the  complaints  of  those  who  were 
disposed  to  blame  the  company  in  England  for  sending 
forth  a  colony  with  inadequate  provision.  The  manly 
sense  of  justice,  which  makes  so  fine  an  element  in  his 
character,  strikes  the  murmur  at  its  root.  He  tells  them 
they  are  "  ill  advised  to  nourish  such  ill  conceits.  *  *  * 
The  fault  in  going  was  our  own  ;  what  could  be  thought 
fitting  or  necessary  we  had  ;  but  what  we  should  find,  or 
want,  or  where  we  should  be,  we  were  all  ignorant.  * 
Supposing  to  make  our  passage  in  two  moneths,  with  vic- 
tuall  to  live,  and  the  advantage  of  the  spring  to  worke, 
we  were  at  sea  five  moneths, — where  we  both  spent  our 
victuall  and  lost  the  opportunitie  of  the  time  and  season 
to  plant,  by  the  unskilful  presumption  of  our  ignorant 
transporters,  that  understood  not  at  all  what  they  under- 
tooke." 

This  is  laying  the  blame  on  the  right  shoulders.  The 
true  evil  was  in  the  vanity,  the  worthlessness,  and  utter 
selfishness  of  those  to  whom  so  much  of  the  power  had 
been  intrusted.  Our  author  proceeds  in  a  general  reflec 
tion,  which,  even  were  it  not  that  of  Smith  himself — as 
we  believe  it  to  be — is.  worthy  to  be  preserved  in  this 
connection. 

"  Such  actions  have,  ever  since  the  world's  beginning, 
beene  subject  to  such  accidents,  and  everything  of  worth 
is  found  full  of  difficulties ;  but  nothing  so  difficult  as  to 
establish  a  commonwealth,  so  farre  remote  from  men  and 
meanes,  and  where  men's  minds  are  so  untoward  as  nei 
ther  doe  well  themselves  nor  suffer  others." — Truth  in 
itsolf,  but  here  a  history,  which  accounts  for  all  the  mis- 


124  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

haps  of  the  colony  to  the  present  moment,  and  makes  tht 
merit  so  much  the  greater  on  the  part  of  him  by  whom  aL 
obstacles  of  untoward  minds  and  inferior  means  were  finally 
overcome. 

A  few  months  have  made  a  surprising  alteration  in  his 
own  and  the  fortunes  of  the  colonists.  His  enemies  are 
deposed.  The  prisoner  is  taken  from  his  cell  and  placed 
at  the  head  of  affairs.  The  spirit  of  exulting  selfishness 
is  humbled  into  silence — crushed  down  with  conscious 
humiliation,  while  it  beholds  the  noble  forbearance  of  him 
whom  it  has  injured  to  exult  in  turn.  His  revenges 
are  of  the  kind  commanded  by  Scripture.  He  heaps  fire 
on  the  head  of  his  foes,  by  deeds  of  manliness  and  mercy 
He  interposes  for  their  safety,  and  with  success.  They 
are  soon  made  to  see  that  he  alone  can  be  successful,  that 
he  is  the  king-man  of  the  expedition,  a  sovereign  by  the 
appointment  of  nature.  No  one  looks  to  Radcliffe  or  to 
Martin  ;  Wing-field  goes  out  of  sight,  remembered  only  as 
a  poor  thieving  mercenary,  from  whom  no  man  has  any 
thing  to  hope.  Smith  is  master.  He  has  compelled  the 
tasks  of  labor  ;  he  has  done  the  work  which  no  man  had 
thought,  or  perhaps  knew  how  to  do  before  ;  and  now,  as 
he  sees  the  provisions  of  the  Indians  running  low,  he 
has  measured  out  the  allowances,  and  finds  the  supply  suf 
ficient  for  only  eighteen  days — he  prepares  to  go  in  search 
of  their  granaries.  He  fits  out  the  shallop,  takes  with 
him  a  select  crew  of  seven  men,  and,  with  a  store  of  Euro 
pean  commodities — hatchets,  and  beads,  and  bells,  and 
glasses— he  sets  forth  on  a  cruise.  Ignorant  of  the  Indian 
language,  with  seamen  who  neither  know  nor  love  the 
use  of  the  oar,  his  men  wanting  in  apparel,  and  few  in 
number  compared  with  the  multitude  of  savages  they 
must  meet — these,  he  tells  us,  are  impediments  in  his 
\»ay,  but  do  not  discourage  him.  Descending  the  river  to 


T.IFE      OP      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  125 

its  mouth,  he  reaches  the  hamlet  of  Kecoughtan,  where 
Hampton  now  stands.  Here  he  found  the  natives  too  well 
acquainted  with  the  condition  of  the  colony  to  treat  hina 
with  respect.  They  deride  his  offers  of  barter,  and  taunt 
his  poverty  with  scraps  of  bread,  tendered  for  their  swords 
and  muskets.  The  arts  of  trade  are  exercised  in  vain. 
They  regard  the  fate  of  the  colony  as  in  their  hands,  and 
are  not  tc  be  tempted  with  the  toys  and  trifles  which  are 
spread  before  them.  Courtesy  finds  nothing  but  inso 
lence  ;  and  the  necessities  of  Smith  are  such  as  will  not 
suffer  him  to  return  with  empty  hands.  "  Though  con 
trary  to  his  commission,"  he  "  makes  bold  to  try  such  con 
clusions  as  necessitie  inforced."  His  true  commission  is 
to  see  that  the  people  do  not  starve,  and  to  this  all  other 
commissions  must  give  place.  But,  though  determined 
to  obtain  by  force  what  he  cannot  get  by  trade,  he  is  yet 
willing  to  "do  his  spiriting  gently."  He  suddenly  gives 
Jhem  a  volley,  directed  so  as  to  do  no  hurt,  and  then  boldly 
runs  his  boat  upon  the  shore.  At  this  decisive  movement 
the  savages  betake  them  to  the  woods,  and,  marching  upon 
the  hamlet,  Smith  finds  their  houses  well  stored  with 
maize.  It  is  with  difficulty  that  he  can  restrain  his  hungry 
companions  from  seizing  at  once  upon  the  prize  ;  but  he 
is  too  good  a  soldier  to  suppose  that  his  enemy  will  suffer 
this.  He  keeps  his  men  together  and  prepares  them  for 
the  assault,  which  follows  almost  immediately.  The 
savages,  recovered  from  their  panic,  to  the  number  of 
sixty  or  seventy,  painted  in  a  variety  of  styles  and  colors 
equally  hideous  and  fantastic,  came  darting  from  the 
woods  in  order  of  battle,  timing  their  movement  with 
songs  and  dances,  after  the  manner  of  the  ancient  Spar 
tans.  They  brought  with  them  their  Okee,  or  goct,  a 
monstrous  image  made  of  skins,  stuffed  with  moss,  painted 
like  themselves,  and  decorated  with  rude  and  uncouth 


126  LIFE      OF      Cy.    PTAIN     SMITH 

ornaments.  They  were  well  armed  with  clubs  and  ar 
rows,  bows  and  targets,  and  charged  the  Knglish  withou 
hesitation.  Smith  requites  them,  still  disposed  to  pity 
even  wrhere  he  must  chastise,  with  pistol-shot  only.  These 
answer  the  purpose.  The  idol  is  the  first,  and  perhaps  the 
principal  victim,  it  falls  into  the  hands  of  the  whites, 
while  the  red  men  again  fly  to  the  shelter  of  the  woods. 
Some  of  them  are  hurt,  but  none,  it  would  seem,  severely. 
At  all  events  these  hurts  provoke  no  anxiety,  while  all 
the  apprehensions  of  the  tribe  are  awakened  for  the  fate 
and  captivity  of  their  god.  He  must  be  recovered  He 
has  to  be  ransomed.  They  understand  and  comply  with 
the  conditions ;  load  the  boat  of  the  colonists  with  maize, 
and  bring  them  besides  a  bountiful  tribute  of  venison,  tur 
keys,  and  wild-fowl.  Smith  not  only  restores  their  Okee, 
but  takes  them  to  his  friendship  and  protection.  He  has 
shown  them  that  he  can  be  a  destroyer  :  he  seeks  to  show 
them  that  he  can  be  a  benefactor  also.  He  bestows  upon 
them  beads  and  hatchets,  and  they  celebrate  the  recon 
ciliation  with  songs  and  dances.  His  return  to  Jamestown 
infuses  new  life  into  the  despairing  settlers.  But  no 
increase  of  providence  on  their  part  follows  his  enterprise 
and  industry.  Their  late  miseries  teach  them  no  useful 
lesson.  They  waste  as  fast  as  he  supplies,  and  his  voy 
ages  require  to  be  frequently  repeated.  In  these  voyages 
he  is  not  only  successful  in  procuring  the  necessary  pro 
visions,  but  he  makes  frequent  discoveries  of  new  towns 
and  tribes ;  forms  their  acquaintance,  becomes  known  and 
remarked  by  them  in  turn,  and  notes  the  resources  of  the 
country,  and  the  manners,  habits,  and  numbers  of  the  peo 
ple.  The  Chickahominy  was  penetrated  in  this  way,  and 
a  trade  opened  with  the  people  of  that  river.  The  tribes 
of  Wanasqueak,  of  Tappahannock,  and  of  Paspahegh, fur 
nished  ample  markets.  The  latter  he  styles  a  churlish 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  V2f 

and  treacherous  people,  jealous  of  their  acquaintance  with 
other  tribes,  yet  not  themselves  loving  them — who  set 
spies  upon  their  movements,  and,  but  for  the  vigilance  of 
our  Captain,  would  have  possessed  themselves  by  steakh 
of  the  weapons  of  the  Europeans.  Smith  travels  amoLg 
them  by  night  and  day,  is  always  vigilant,  yet  never  be 
trays  apprehension.  He  treats  them  with  kindness  always, 
and  is  entertained  in  like  manner.  So  anxious  do  they 
become  to  trade,  that  they  will  give  the  grain  to  him  if 
he  will  not  buy  it,  and  they  follow  him  in  their  canoes  for 
this  purpose.  But  he  must  let  them  hear  his  musketry', 
and  to  oblige  them  he  gives  a  volley  to  the  wild  fowl  upon 
the  river,  the  Indians  much  fearing  and  wondering  to  be 
hold  the  feathers  fly. 

Thus  indefatigable,  our  hero  is  yet  doomed  to  discover 
that  his  toil  consists  in  drawing  water  in  a  sieve.  He  toils 
for  the  worthless  and  the  ungrateful.  The  malcontents, 
now  that  they  have  recovered  from  their  illness,  have 
resumed  all  their  evil  nature.  VVingfield  and  Kendall 
engage  in  a  conspiracy,  to  which  they  persuade  certain  of 
the  sailors,  to  seize  upon  the  pinnace  which  Smith  has 
kept  in  order  for  his  domestic  enterprises,  appropriate  the 
provisions  which  he  has  brought,  and  steal  away  for  Eng 
land.  The  conspiracy  is  fairly  a-foot,  when  it  is  discover 
ed  by  one  of  the  mechanics.  This  man,  showing  some 
insubordination,  was  chidden  by  the  President,  whom  he 
defied  and  assaulted  with  his  smith's  implements.  For 
this  act  the  offender  is  tried  by  a  jury,  and  sentenced  to 
be  hanged.  It  is  only  when  he  is  actually  upon  the  gal 
lows  that  he  can  be  persuaded  that  he  will  not  be  rescued 
by  those  comrades  whose  secret  practices  hav^  l^d  to  his 
mutiny.  When  actually  assured  of  his  fate,  he  revealed 
the  secret  of  the  conspiracy.  This  premature  discovery 
urged  the  conspiiators  into  instant  activity.  They  seized 


128          LIFE   OF   CAPTAIN   SMITH. 

upon  the  pinnace,  and  would  have  made  off,  but  tha' 
Smith  turned  the  guns  of  the  fortress  upon  them,  and 
forced  them  to  remain  where  they  were,  or  he  sunk  in 
the  river.  They  chose  the  more  prudent  course,  and  the 
only  victim  to  their  insanity  was  Captain  Kendall,  the 
chief  conspirator,  who  was  tried  by  a  jury,  condemned,  and 
shot  to  death.* 

Here  it  was  Smith's  energy  again  that  interposed  for 
the  safety  of  the  colony.  It  was  his  timely  return  that 
baffles  the  conspiracy,  and  saves  the  pinnace.  His  prompt 
decision,  that,  training  the  guns  of  the  fort  upon  the  con 
spirators,  compels  the  surrender  of  their  chief,  and  brings 
the  rest  back  to  their  duty,  without  rendering  necessary 
any  lavish  sacrifice  of  life. 

The  conspiracy  is  no  sooner  quieted  than  our  sleepless 
adventurer  embarks  upon  a  new  voyage  of  track-  and  dis 
covery.  His  course  is  up  the  Chickahominy,  which  the 
council  desires  him  to  follow  to  its  source.  He  finds 
several  new  towns  ;  finds  the  store  of  gram  in  the  country 
somewhat  diminished,  but  procures  a  good  supply,  and 
returns  to  Jamestown,  just  in  season  to  prevent  another 
effort  on  the  part  of  the  malcontents  to  abandon  the  colony 
and  return  to  Europe  in  the  pinnace.  But  this  attempt 


*This  fact  is  thus  distinctly  stated  in  the  narrative  of  Smith  him 
self,  professing  to  be  written  by  Tho.  Watson,  Gent.,  entitled,  "  A 
true  relation  of  such  occurrences  and  accidents  of  noate  as  hath  hap 
pened  in  Virginia  since  the  first  planting  of  that  colony,"  fcc.  Lon 
don.  1G08.  According  to  Stith,  Kendall  is  slain  in  Vie  action -,  but 
this  mistake  seems  to  have  arisen  from  the  vague  manner  in  which 
the  facts  are  given  in  the  third  oook  of  the  "  proceedings  and  acci 
dents,"  where  it  is  said  that  he  (Smith)  ".with  store  of  sakre  and  mus 
ket-shot  forced  them  stay,  or  sink  in  the,  river,  which  action  cost  the 
life  of  Capt.  Kendall."  In  other  words,  the  movement,  the  seizure 
of  the  boat,  the  overt  act  of  treason,  cost  him  (the  chief  conspirator"*, 
hi*  life. 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  129 

was  after  due  form  of  law — a  resolution  submitted  in  coun 
cil,  and  sustained  by  Captain  Archer  and  the  President  -, 
Martin  and  Smith  opposing  it.  It  might  have  been  diffi 
cult  to  arrest  this  new  movement,  thus  legitimate  in  form 
and  appealing  to  the  home-sickness  of  all  parties,  but  for 
an  agreeable  change  in  the  circumstances  of  the  colony. 
The  winter  was  approaching,  and  had  covered  the  rivers 
with  wild  fowl  in  abundance.  Ducks  and  geese  were  to 
be  had  for  the  gathering  ;  wild  beasts,  as  fat  as  they  could 
be  eaten,  drew  near  to  the  settlement,  as  if  seeking  to  be 
slain ;  and  the  prudence  of  Smith,  his  ample  provision  of 
the  commodities  furnished  by  the  Indians — maize,  pease, 
pompions,  fish,  and  poultry — giving  assurance  of  abun 
dance  through  the  winter,  did  more  to  quiet  the  discon 
tents  than  any  argument.  Smith  knew  his  countrymen 
well,  and  knew  through  what  medium  in  especial  it  was 
required  to  approach  their  intellects.  "  The  Spaniard," 
he  himself  remarks,  "  never  more  greedily  desired  gold 
than  he  victuall,  nor  his  souldiers  more  to  abandon  the 
country  than  he  to  keepe  it."  The  living  was  so  good, 
"  that»none  of  our  Tufftaffaty*  humorists  desired  to  goe 


*  This  is  not  a  coinage  of  our  author.  He  has  authority  for  it 
among  the  poets.  The  allusion  is  to  the  condition  of  the  velvet 
habits  of  our  gentlemen  colonists.  These  were  worn  into  tufts.  The 
Taffeta  or  Taffaty  had  become  tufty.  The  word  is  a  compound  of 
Tuft  and  Taffata.  Beaumont  and  Fletcher  write  "Ta/aties,  silk 
grogans,  sattins,  and  velvets  are  mine."  But  Donne  is  more  explicit, 
and  applies  directly  to  onir  case  : 

"  Sleeveless  his  jerkin  was,  and  it  had  been 
Velvet,  but  'twas  now  (so  much  ground  was  seen) 
Become  tuff'toffaty." 

The  word  not  being  in  common  use  in  Smith's  time  in  England, 
nor  indeed  at  anv  time,  the  effort  will  not  be  great  to  fancy  that  out 
Indian  trader  was  a  t^quent  reader  of  the  poets.  His  prose,  indeed, 
20  i*r  'o  un  •«.  -ne  fact. 


130  LIFE    OF    CAPTAIN    SMITH. 

for  Englande."  With  returning  health  and  vigor,  life  in  the 
forests  of  America,  with  so  much  game  around  them,  was 
a  long  day  of  pleasure,  and, so  long  as  it  lasted, no  more 
discontents  or  vain  repinin^s  after  the  mother-land  were 
to  be  apprehended.  The  riant  spirit  which  now  filled 
their  bosoms  was  that  of  Jcshurun.  Having  waxed  fat, 
they  kicked.  Smith's  enterprises,  which  had  saved  them 
from  perishing,  did  not  now  meet  the  general  expectation. 
His  associates  in  council  reproached  him  with  not  having 
explored  the  Chickahominy  to  its  sources.  This  river,  it 
was  absurdly  fancied,  would  conduct  them  into  the  South 
sea,  then  the  great  object  of  European  discovery.  It  was 
in  vain  that  he  urged  the  greater  importance  to  their  pre 
sent  objects  and  necessities  of  laying  in  the  winter  supplies 
of  maize  when  it  could  be  procured  from  the  Indians,  and 
before  the  improvident  savages  became  conscious  of  any 
scarcity.  The  river  could  always  wait.  He  was  told 
that  he  was  slow.  He  might  have  answered — "  I  am 
sure  ;  and  always  fast  enough  for  the  necessity."  But 
contenting  himself  with  declaring  the  motives  by  which 
he  had  been  governed,  in  forbearing  the  contemplated 
exploration — and  with  which  we  are  perfectly  satisfied — 
he  chose  the  most  effectual  mode  of  silencing  the  murmurs 
of  the  council,  by  withdrawing  himself  from  sight,  and  by 
going  upon  the  proposed  expedition. 

The  winter  of  1607,  remarkable  for  an  extraordinary 
frost  in  Europe,  was  extremely  cold  in  Virginia  ;  but  no 
seasons  seemed  to  discourage  the  enterprise  of  our  hero. 
He  penetrated  the  Chickahominy  for  fifty  miles  in  his 
barge,  cutting  his  way  through  trees  where  they  had  fallen 
across  the  stream,  and  pressing  on,  from  point  to  point, 
with  all  the  diligence  and  address  which  marked  his  char 
acter.  At  length,  the  shoals  becoming  such  as  to  endan 
ger  his  vessel,  he  procured  a  canoe  from  the  Indians,  two 


LIFE      OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  131 

of  whom  were  engaged  as  oarsmen.  Having  put  the 
barge  in  security,  and  given  express  charge  to  his  men  not 
to  go  ashore,  he  took  with  him  two  of  his  people,  and 
with  the  two  Indians  continued  his  further  voyage  in  the 
canoe. 

At  this  place  in  his  narrative  Smith  deems  it  necessary 
to  apologize  for  the  extreme  risk  which  he  incurred  by 
this  proceeding.  a  Though  some  wise  men,"  he  remarks, 
"  may  condemn  this  too  bould  attempt  of  too  much  indis 
cretion,  yet  if  they  will  consider  the  friendship  of  the 
Indians  in  conducting  me,  the  desolateness  of  the  country, 
the  probabilitie  of  some  lucke,  and  the  malicious  judges 
}f  my  actions  at  home — as  also  to  have  some  matters  of 
worth  to  encourage  our  adventurers  in  England — might 
well  have  caused  any  honest  minde  to  have  done  the 
like,  as  well  for  his  own  discharge,  as  for  the  public  good." 

These,  we  may  remark,  are  the  suggestions  of  a  very 
noble  mind.  It  is  the  probable  "  lucke"  of  the  colony 
that  moves  him  to  risk  his  life,  and  the  anxiety  to  u  en 
courage  other  colonists  from  England  ;" — even  the  errors 
of  judgment,  which  we  find  in  this  apology,  are  proofs  of 
a  high  and  generous  sp  rit,  superior  to  the  exactions  of  a 
petty  self.  He  confides  in  the  friendship  of  the  Indians, 
which  the  cowardly  and  jealous  nature  will  seldom  do  ; 
and  he  has  "  malicious  judges  at  home,"  whom  he  would 
silence  and  disarm  for  ever  by  deeds  of  courage,  which  not 
one  of  them  has  the  soul  to  emulate.  If  the  argument  of 
Smith  does  not  wholly  prove  the  correctness  of  his  policy, 
it  proves  his  own  worth  and  manliness  of  character — his 
courage,  and  the  honesty  of  his  ambition.  He  thinks  that 
his  motives  might  well  cause  any  "  honest  minde  to  have 
done  the  like."  So  they  might;  but  "  honesty,"  Cap 
tain,  is  scarcely  the  sufficient  word  in  this  connection  ' 
Let  it  remain,  however,  as  it  is  written. 


'.32  LIFE      0}       CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

Smith  had  learned  many  admirable  lessons  in  foreign 
warfare,  but  he  was  yet  to  learn  the  subtlety  of  those 
tribes  whose  forests  he  had  begun  to  subdue.  The  proba 
bility  is,  that  every  footstep  which  he  took  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Chickahominy  was  noted  by  the  spies  of 
Powhatan.  Whether  the  two  Indians  who  rowed  his  boat 
were  faithful  to  him  is  quite  questionable.  He  himself 
was  without  suspicion,  as  he  was  without  fear.  He 
ascended  the  river  in  the  canoe  some  twenty  miles  above 
the  spot  where  his  barge  was  anchored.  Here,  as  the 
river  was  cumbered  with  trees  and  foliage,  though  still 
keeping  sufficient  depth  for  his  progress,  he  let't  the  canoe 
in  the  charge  of  the  two  Englishmen  and  one  of  the  In 
dians.  The  other  he  took  with  him,  and  went  ashore  "  to 
see  the  nature  of  the  soil,"  and  to  head  or  cross  the  tribu 
tary  branches  of  the  strenm.  On  leaving  the  canoe,  he 
instructed  his  followers  to  keep  their  matches  alight,  and 
to  discharge  a  piece  at  the  first  appearance  of  danger. 
With  these  precautions,  deeming  himself  tolerably  secure, 
he  passed  with  his  guide  into  the  forests. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  had  not  ^lapsed,  after  his  leaving 
the  canoe,  when  he  was  starth  d  by  the  war-whoop  of 
the  savage.  No  warning  matchlock  apprised  him  of  the 
proximity  of  any  enemy,  and  believing  that  the  two  whom 
he  had  left  with  the  canoe  had  been  betrayed  and  mur 
dered  by  his  Indian  guide,  with  the  prompt  decision  of 
hi-s  character,  he  at  once  grappled  with  the  Indian,  his 
companion.  The  stern  resolution  of  our  adventurer,  with 
the  suddenness  of  his  movement,  disarmed  the  savage  and 
subdued  his  spirit;  and  Smith,  with  his  garters,  bound  the 
arm  of  the  savage  tightly  to  one  of  his  own  ;  thus  prepar 
ing  to  use  him  as  a  buckler.  He  had  scarcely  taken  this 
precaution,  when  he  felt  himself  struck  with  an  arrow 
upon  the  thigh.  This  shaft  did  no  hurt,  b^iug;  discharged 


LIFE   OF   CAPTAIN   SMITH.         133 

from  a  respectful  distance  ;  but  a  moment  after  the  vigi 
lant  eyes  of  our  hero  discovered  two  other  Indians  about  to 
draw  their  bows  upon  him.  He  anticipated  them  by  a 
discharge  Of  his  pistol,  the  effects  of  which  they  already 
knew.  This  sent  them  Hying  for  a  while,  and  enabled 
him  to  reload  his  weapon.  But  they  soon  returned  to  the 
conflict,  and  Smith,  retreating  with  his  face  toward  them, 
and  his  fettered  Indian — who  proved  quite  submissive — 
still  as  a  buckler  between  their  darts  and  his  bosom,  slowly 
aimed  to  make  his  way  backward  to  the  canoe.  But  the 
sudden  appearance  upon  the  ground,  of  Opechancanough, 
one  of  their  greatest  chiefs,  at  the  head  of  more  than  two 
hundred  warriors,  soon  lessened,  if  it  did  not  utterly  de 
stroy  his  hopes.  But  Smith  was  not  to  be  subdued.  He 
knew  too  much  of  the  barbarian  nature  to  exhibit  any 
apprehensions;  and,  steadily  continuing  to  retire,  answered 
some  twenty  or  thirty  of  their  arrows  with  four  or  five  pis 
tol-shots.  To  approach  him  closely  while  possessed  of 
these  formidable  weapons  was  no  part  of  the  Indian  policy, 
and  to  do  him  much  hurt  at  a  distance,  while  he  so  adroit 
ly  interposed  their  comrade  between  him  and  their  shafts, 
was  soon  discovered  to  be  no  easy  matter.  A  conference 
took  place  between  the  parties.  Smith  was  told  that  his 
two  followers  were  slain,  but  that  his  life  would  be  spared 
if  he  would  yield  himself.  But  he  must  have  better  terms 
than  this.  He  must  be  permitted  to  retire  in  safety  to  the 
boat.  He  will  not  deliver  up  his  arms.  He  will  use 
them,  and  shoot  with  them  famously,  though  his  Indian 
buckler-man  importunes  him  not  to  do  so.  This  confer 
ence  was  carried  on  with  less  formal  state  than  is  custom 
ary  on  such  occasions,  as  well  in  barbarous  as  in  Christian 
countries.  It  was  a  sort  of  running  conference-r-a  running 
fight  at  the  same  time  ;  Smith  backing  regularly  as  he 
argued,  and  draw/ng  his  tethered  Indian  along  with  him, 


134  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

very  awkwardly  placed,  no  doubt,  between  two  fires,  and 
anxious  to  get  away  ;  Opechancanough  pressing  upon  him 
within  treating  and  fighting  distance,  unwilling  to  provoke 
the  pistol,  but  resolved  that  the  Captain  shall  not  get  away. 
It  is  ifficult  to  say  how  long  this  curious  sort  of  strife 
could  Imv^  been  maintained,  and  what  would  have  been 
its  final  issue,  had  not  a  mishap  befallen  our  adventurer, 
against  which  he  had  made  no  provision.  Retreating  still, 
with  face  averted  from  the  path  which  he  treads,  he  walks 
suddenly  into  a  morass,  into  which  he  drags  perforce  his 
unwilling  companion.  This  morass  alone  had  protected 
him  from  assault  in  the  rear.  But  he  was  too  busy  with 
his  foes  in  front  to  think  of  any  other  danger,  and, up  to 
his  waist  in  bog,he  cannot  extricate  himself  without  assist 
ance.  The  hope  of  escape  is  at  an  end.  He  flings  away 
his  pistols,  and  makes  signs  of  submission  ;  and  he  who 
has  tasted  of  the  perils  of  Turkish  bondage  will  now 
have  an  opportunity  of  comparing  it  with  that  of  the 
Apalachian. 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE  misfortune  of  Smith  seems  to  have  been  due  entirely 
to  the  misconduct  of  his  followers,  whom  he  had  left  be 
hind  him  in  the  canoe  and  barge.  Had  they  not  in  both 
cases  disobeyed  his  orders,  neither  they  nor  himself  would 
have  suffered  harm.  But,  scarcely  had  he  gone  from 
sight,  when  the  people  in  the  barge  determined  to  enjoy 
their  freedom  on  the  land.  They,  too,  in  all  probability, 
had  some  vague  notions  of  coming  upon  the  great  river 
leading  from  the  northeast  into  the  South  Sea — the  vain 
desire,  built  upon  gross  ignorance,  which  possessed  many 
of  the  adventurers  in  that  age  ;  or,  seeing  at  a  distance 
some  headland  of  shining  earth,  they  had  brighter  fancies 
of  gold  and  silver  ore  to  be  gathered  by  the  bucket.  With 
vague  appetites  like  these,  or  possibly  only  with  the  boy 
ish  desire  to  run  and  leap  among  the  seemingly  quiet 
woods,  they  drew  nigh  to  the  shore  in  their  barge,  and 
leaving  her  to  the  care  of  fortune,  straggled  off  into  the 
forests.  They  had  not  gone  far,  when  they  were  surpris 
ed  by  Opechancanough,  with  three  hundred  warriors. 
They  succeeded  in  escaping  to  the  barge,  and  in  saving 
her,  though  not  without  great  difficulty.  One  of  their 
number,  George  Cassen,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  savages, 
and  was  made  to  suffer  the  miserable  penalty  of  death  for 
all  the  rest.  In  the  hope  to  save  his  life,  the  captive 
revealed  the  secret  of  Smith's  progress  into  the  interior. 
The  secret  obtained,  the  poor  wretch  was  despatched  by 
the  most  cruel  tortures — dismembered  limb  by  limb,  and 
cast  into  the  fire.  After  this,  Opechancanough  hurried 
upon  the  trail  of  our  adventurer.  The  men  left  in  the 


136  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH 

canoe  were  equally  remiss  of  duty  with  those  in  the  barge 
but  paid  more  heavily  for  their  error.  They,  too,  had 
left  the  vessel,  had  gone  ashore,  built  a  fire,  and  were  shot 
to  death  while  they  slept  before  it.  Every  step  which 
Smith  had  taken  was  then  followed,  until  he  fell  into  the 
bog,  and  into  their  hands.  The  treacherous  morass  which 
enmeshed  him,  seems  to  have  been  one  of  the  numerous 
swamps  from  which  the  river  takes  its  rise.  He  had, 
therefore,  involuntarily  pushed  the  exploring  survey  much 
more  deeply  than  was  at  all  needful  in  discovering  its 
sources.  But  he  had  been  no  such  easy  victim  as  his 
besotted  followers — three  of  them  had  he  siain  in  the 
struggle,  and  "  divers  others  had  he  gall'd."  His  skill 
and  valor,  while  compelling  their  fears,  commanded  their 
respect  and  admiration. 

These  he  was  careful  not  to  forfeit.  Drawn  from  the 
morass,  cold  and  nearly  frozen,  he  showed  no  signs  of 
fear,  and  behaved  with  the  most  intrepid  spirit.  Brought 
before  Opechancanough,  he  presented  him  with  the  pocket- 
compass  with  which  he  travelled,  and  showed  him  the 
uses  of  the  instrument  Great  was  the  marvel  at  the 
play  of  the  needle,  which  he  could  see  through  the  glass, 
but  never  touch  ;  and  when  Smith  proceeded  to  explain 
to  him,  by  mingled  sign  and  speech,  its  \vonderful  pro 
perties — how  it  would  follow  sun,  moon,  and  stars, — indi 
cate  his  route  on  earth,  and  guide  him  to  realms,  and  con 
tinents,  and  seas,  of  which  our  savages  now  heard  for  the 
first  time,  they  were  struck  with  amazement  and  silent 
wonder.  This  toy  amused  them  for  an  hour,  and  when 
it  ceased  to  do  so,  they  fastened  the  captive  to  a  tree, 
grouped  themselves  around  him,  and  placing  each  an  arrow 
on  his  bow,  they  prepared  to  shoot  him.  It  is  probable 
this  was  only  an  experiment  upon  his  courage.  He  was 
a  Captain — a  VVerowance  or  Chief — of  whom  much  curi 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  137 

osity  was  entertained,  and  from  whom  much  ransom  might 
be  expected.  At  a  signal  from  their  king,  their  weapons 
were  dropped,  and  leading  him  to  the  fire — where  he  be 
held  the  body  of  one  of  his  men,  Thomas  Emry,  stuck  full 
of  arrows — they  suffered  him  to  warm  himself,  chafed  his 
limbs,  which  were  nearly  frozen,  gave  him  food,  and  treat 
ed  him  with  kindness.  He  had  occasion  to  remark,  that 
though  they  fed  him  bountifully,  not  one  of  them  would 
eat  with  him  ; — a  forbearance  which  reminds  us  of  the 
reluctance  of  the  Arabs  and  other  Eastern  nations  to  par 
take  of  food  with  those  to  whom  they  intend  evil. 

He  was  reserved  to  grace  the  triumph  of  Opechanca- 
nough.  This  sagacious  savage  was  the  King  or  Chief  of 
Pamunkee — is  styled  one  of  the  brethren  of  Powhatan  ; 
but  subsequent  narratives — for  he  made  a  figure  in  after 
events  not  less  distinguished  than  that  of  Powhatan — repre 
sent  him  not  to  have  been  considered  by  the  Indians  a  rela 
tive  of  Powhatan  in  any  degree.  Indeed,  they  describe 
him  as  being  a  foreigner,  the  Prince  of  a  distant  people  in 
the  southwest,  who  was  adopted  into  the  nation  ;  probably 
having  been  taken  from  his  own  while  yet  in  his  infancy.* 
He  was  a  man  of  large  stature,  of  noble  presence  and 
extraordinary  parts,  and  a  dignity  of  thought  and  carriage 
which  might  honor  the  highest  places  of  Christian  civili 
sation.  His  treatment  of  Smith  while  his  captive,  making 
due  allowance  for  his  own  wild  training,  was  creditable  to 
his  delicacy  and  humanity.  That  his  captive  should  min 
ister  to  his  triumph,  was  due  to  the  customs  of  his  coun 
try  ;  and  the  practice  does  not  seem  to  have  discredited 
any  of  the  Roman  conquerors.  It  has  policy  for  its  justi 

*  See  Beverley,  Hist.  Va.,  51,  52;  and  Burke  (Hist.  Va.),  vol.  iii. 
pages  57-8-9,  for  an  interesting  account  of  the  capture  of  this  chief 
tain,  under  the  English  colonial  administration  of  Sir  W.  Berkeley 
and  of  his  brutal  assassination  while  in  captivity. 


138  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

fication,  and  infuses  courage  into  a  people,  and  strengthens 
and  confirms  their  patriotism. 

The  procession  which  conducted  Smith  through  the 
Indian  towns,  was  one  of  rude  state  and  ceremonial.  He 
himself  was  guarded  on  either  side  by  a  sturdy  savage, 
who  kept  fast  hold  upon  his  wrist.  Opechancanough 
moved  midway  in  the  column,  and  the  guns,  swords,  and 
pistols,  which  had  been  taken,  were  borne  before  him. 
Their  approach  to  a  settlement  or  hamlet  was  distinguish 
ed  by  the  wild  songs  and  dances  of  the  warriors, — their 
yells  of  death  and  victory  first  bringing  out  the  women 
and  children  to  behold  their  spectacle  of  triumph. 

His  first  resting  place  in  this  humiliating  progress  was 
at  Orapakes,.  where  he  was  taken  to  a  house  and  closely 
guarded  by  eight  warriors.  Here  he  was  so  well  fed, 
with  venison,  and  other  food,  that  he  began  to  be  troubled 
with  misgivings  that  their  purpose  was  to  fatten  him  for 
the  table.  To  go  to  a  feast,  not  to  eat  but  to  be  eaten, 
was  an  event  in  prospect,  not  more  agreeable  to  Smith 
than  to  Polonius.  But  this  fear  was  only  momentary, 
and  proved  to  have  been  groundless.  It  does  not  appear 
anywhere  that  the  North  American  savage  was  a  cannibal 
At  Orapakes  one  of  the  Indians  to  whom  Smith  had  made 
some  small  present  when  he  first  came  to  Virginia,  re 
membered  the  gift  with  gratitude,  and  brought  him  his 
gown,  which  he  seems  to  have  discarded  when  first  assail 
ed  by  his  captors.  The  gift  was  a  grateful  one,  as  the 
weathei  was  intensely  cold,  and  his  condition  was  one  to 
demand  every  possible  consolation. 

Some  delay  was  made  at  Orapakes.  It  was  one  01  the 
favorite  residences  of  Powhatan,  and  here  it  may  have 
been  expected  to  meet  him.  It  is  probable  that  his  captors 
waited  here  for  instructions  from  their  err.peror.  This 
detention  increased  the  intimacy  between  Smith  and  the 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  139 

savages,  of  which  he  contrived  to  avail  himself  in  getting 
a  letter  to  Jamestown.  In  this  letter,  which  was  written 
on  the^  leaf  of  an  old  table-book,  he  wrote  his  wishes  to 
the  people  at  the  fort ;  described  his  condition  exactly, 
instructed  them  to  do  all  that  they  could  to  terrify  the 
messengers,  who  were  in  fact  spies,  and  upon  whose  re 
port  would  depend  their  decision  whether  to  assault  the 
fort  or  not — a  measure  greatly  urged  by  the  King  of  Pas- 
pahegh  ;  who  sagaciously  insisted  upon  the  moment  the 
great  werovsance  of  the  whites  was  in  their  power,  and  his 
people  in  consternation,  as  being  particularly  suited  to  the 
attempt.  The  letter  also  counselled  certain  things  to  be 
sent  him,  of  which  an  inventory  was  given.  His  messen 
gers — three  in  number — took  the  letter  in  weather  so  bit 
ter  and  cold,  with  frost  and  snow,  "  as  in  reason  were  im 
possible  by  any  naked  man  to  be  endured." 

But  they  returned  in  three  days,  having  faithfully  exe 
cuted  their  commission.  The  reports  which  they  brought 
of  the  terrors  by  which  the  fort  was  environed,  confirm 
ing  the  dreadful  accounts  of  mines,  great  guns,  and  engines 
of  such  dread,  that  no  proper  names  for  them  could  be 
found,  determined  them  to  forego  the  attempt  upon  the 
colony  ;  and  then  it  was  that  the  triumphal  progress  was 
resumed.  But  before  this  could  take  place,  and,  indeed, 
before  Smith's  dispatches  had  been  written,  an  incident 
occurred  which  had  nearly  rendered  unnecessary  any 
further  negotiation. 

It  appears  that,  soon  after  he  had  reached  his  present 
resting-place,  he  was  summoned  to  the  assistance  of  one 
of  the  men  whom  he  had  wounded  with  his  pistols. 
Looked  upon  as  a  conqueror — as  a  great  medicine,  at  least 
— it  was  taken  for  granted  that  he  could  heal  as  well  as 
hurt ;  and  nothing  seemed  to  them  more  natural  and  pro 
per,  than  that  he  should  do  so  where  he  himself  had  inflict- 


140  L  I  F  £      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

ed  the  injury.  But  Smith  found  the  wounded  man  in  the 
last  extremity,  and  declared  frankly  he  could  do  nothing 
for  him.  Something,  he  said,  might  be  done,  could  he 
procure  a  certain  medicine  which  he  had  at  Jamestown  ; 
and  a  requisition  for  this  medicine  was  actually  made  in 
the  letter  which  wras  sent.  But  the  savage  dying  soon 
after,  his  father  set  upon  our  adventurer  to  revenge  his 
death  ;  and  would  have  slain  him  with  his  sword,  but  for 
the  timely  interposition  of  the  guard.  Baffled  in  this  way, 
he  endeavored  to  effect  his  object  by  shooting  at  him  in 
his  prison,  but  was  again  arrested  in  his  designs  before  any 
injury  had  been  done.  So  intense  was  this  \vild  passion 
of  revenge,  which  the  practice  among  the  savages  made 
justifiable,  that,  to  defeat  the  purposes  of  his  fury,  they 
were  compelled  to  remove  the  object  of  his  pursuit  and 
hate  to  other  places  of  security.  This,  indeed,  is  given  as 
one  of  the  reasons  for  resuming  the  triumphal  progress. 

The  route  of  the  procession  was  a  circuitous  one.  The 
real  object  seems  to  have  been  to  gratify  the  curiosity  of 
as  many  townships  as  possible  ;  and  possibly  the  vanity 
of  his  captors,  before  taking  him  to  YVerowomoco,  where 
Powhatan  at  this  time  resided.  First,  they  carried  him 
among  the  people  _who  dwelt  on  the  Youghtanund,  or 
Pamunkee  river.  From  the  Youghtanund  they  led  him 
to  the  Mattaponies,  the  Piankatanks,  the  Nantaughtacunds, 
or  the  Rappahannock,  and  the  Nominies,  on  the  Potomac 
river.  These  rivers  being  passed,  they  showed  him  to 
numerous  other  tribes,  w-ith  names  equally  barbarous.  He 
was  then  brought  back  to  the  habitatio-n  of  Opechanca- 
nouo-h,  at  Pamunkee,  where  a  wild  and  singular  species 
of  incantation  was  destined  to  take  place  ;  the  object  of 
which  is  stated  to  be  to  ascertain  by  magical  orgies  what 
had  been  and  were  his  real  purposes  towards  them.  In 
other  words,  the  priests  and  conjurors  of  the  nation  were 


LIFE      OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH  141 

disposed  to  show  themselves  necessary  to  its  safety,  and 
to  avail  themselves  of  a  novel  circumstance  to  strengthei 
those  vulgar  superstitions  by  which  they  lived.  For  three 
days  they  conjured  him  by  the  rudest  sort  of  ceremonials, 
Smeared  with  oil  and  paint,  begrimed  with  black  and  red 
garbed  in  the  skins  of  wild  beasts,  and  shaking  their  gourd 
rattles  over  head,  they  danced  around  him,  with  shriek* 
and  bowlings,  from  the  rising  to  the  setting  ot  the  sun  ; — 
then  fed  themselves  and  him,  for  neither  had  been  suffered 
to  partake  of  food  while  the  day  lasted  ;  but  they  took 
especial  care  not  to  eat  with  him — a  circumstance  which 
still  serves  to  keep  up  in  our  hero's  mind  a  lively  anxiety 
with  regard  to  their  cannibal  appetites.  Three  days  were 
thus  spent  in  these  and  similar  orgies  ;  the  details  of  which 
could  not  enlighten,  and  would  scarcely  please  the  reader. 
These  over,  he  was  removed  to  the  dwelling  of  Opitcha- 
pam,*  the  brother  of  Powhatan,  who  afterwards  succeed 
ed  to  the  empire.  Here  he  was  still  well  treated,  that  is, 
well  fed  ;  his  imagination,  as  he  tells  us  in  doggerel  verse 
—  in  which  he  not  unfrequently  deals  —  conjuring  up 
"  hydeous  dreames,"  in  his  waking  moments,  of  "  won 
drous  shapes,"  "strange  bodies,"  "  huge  of  growth," 
"And  of  stupendous  makes ;" 

the  effects  probably  of  over  feeding,  an  inactive  condition 
of  body,  and  a  mind  full  of  active  apprehensions.  But  his 
spirits  do  not  fail  him,  nor  his  courage.  His  aspect  is 
still  such  as  to  command  the  respect  of  the  savages. 
They  seek  to  persuade  and  to  intimidate  him.  They  offer 
him  "  life,  liberty,  land,  and  women,"  if  he  will  only  show 
them  how  to  get  possession  of  the  fort  at  Jamestown 
They  exult  in  the  possession  of  a  bag  of  gunpowder,  the 
qualities  of  which  they  know ;  and  which,  regarding  it  as 

*  Beverley  calls  him  Itopatin. 
10 


142  LIFE      OF      CAPTA.N     SMITH. 

a  seed,  they  proposed  to  sow,  in  hope  of  future      .-f*t  b 
which  to  retort  the   explosive  missiles  of  the  \  tie-face, 

Smith  loses  no  opportunity  to  impress  them  with  a  sens** 
of  the  superiority  of  the  whites  ;  of  their  wondrous  re 
sources,  and  unmentionable  powers.  He  does  not  unde 
ceive  them  with  regard  to  the  gunpowder,  and  we  may 
suppose  that  they  sow  the  crop  at  the  due  season  in 
spring.  He  is  equal  to  all  their  arts.  They  bring  him 
one  of  his  pistols,  requiring  him  to  discharge  it,  in  order,  as 
he  perceives,  that  they  may  learn  its  use.  But  his  subtlety 
equals  theirs.  He  adroitly  breaks  the  cock  of  the  weapon, 
which  he  succeeds  in  persuading  them  is  accidentally 
done.  They  can  make  nothing  of  him,  and  he,  if  he 
makes  nothing  of  them,  at  all  events  maintains  his  man 
hood  in  their  eyes,  and  assumes  the  guise  of  cheerfulness, 
though  grief  sits  heavy  at  his  heart.  At  length,  after  a 
long  delay,  which  was  probably  not  without  its  object, 
the  captive  is  conducted  to  Werowocomoco,*  the  resi 
dence  of  Powhatan,  and  into  the  presence  of  that  despotic 
chieftain. 

•  Called  Meronocomoco  in  the  "  Discoveries  and  Accidents,"  vot, 
L,  c.  ii.,  p.  162,  of  the  octavo  edition  printed  at  Richmond,  Va. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

WE  have  now  reached  a  period  in  the  career  of  our  hero 
the  events  of  which  are  much  more,  intimately  associate* 
with  his  memory  in  the  minds  of  men  than  those  of  an\ 
other  in  the  whole  of  his  long  eventful  history.  Though 
not  more  remarkable,  perhaps,  than  many  others — not 
more  imposing  or  impressive  than  his  three  single  combats 
with  the  Turkish  champions  before  Regall — than  his  cap 
tivity  and  escape  from  the  bondage  of  the  Bashaw  of 
Bogall,  bearing  with  him  the  blood  of  that  cruel  despot, 
and  the  tender  affections  of  his  gentle  sister — yet  there  is 
something  in  the  first  appearance  of  the  sweet  forest  dam 
sel,- 'Pocahontas,  upon  the  scene  in  which  Smith  is  the 
hero,  and  nearly  the  victim,  which  commends  this  part  of 
his  story,  more  than  any  other,  to  the  sympathies  and 
remembrances  of  our  people.  It  is  as  the  prisoner  of  Pow- 
hatan^  the  great  Indian  Emperor  of  Virginia — a-s  the  cap 
tive  doomed  to  perish  in  the  hands  of  savages  by  a  sudden 
and  a  cruel  death,  and  rescued  at  the  last  moment  by  the 
unexpectedjnterposition  of  the  young  and  tender-hearted 
child  of  the  fierce  old  monarch — that  our  hero  fixes  the 
attention  of  the  hearer  when  his  name  is  but  mentioned. 
We  have  reached  that  point  in  his  career  upon  which  the 
eye  inevitably  fastens,  heedless  of  every.other,  when  he 
becomes  the  subject ; — that  exquisite  episode  in  the  his 
tory  of  the  new  world,  which,  appealing  equally  to  the 
affections  and  the  imagination,  has  never  lost  the  charm 
of  its  original  loveliness  and  freshness,  even  though  a 
thousand  iterations  have  made  it  the  most  familiar  of  all 


146  LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

ther  of  whom  was  more  than  eighteen  years  of  age. 
These  were,  in  all  probability,  the  favorites  of  our  forest 
sultan.  On  either  hand,  and  ranging  behind  this  group, 
were  the  warriors  and  the  women  who  formed  the  suite 
of  the  Emperor.  These  were  sitting  or  standing  in  alter 
nate  rows,  and  were  all  apparelled  in  such  ornaments  as 
they  could  respectively  command.  Some  had  their  heads 
decorated  with  the  white  down,  and  the  plumage  of  native 
birds.  Some  wore  strings  of  white  beads  upon  their 
necks  and  bosoms.  Others  were  otherwise  adorned  ;  and 
all  of  them  appeared  with  cheeks,  brows  and  shoulders 
thickly  painted  with  a  brilliant  red.  But  the  chief,  as  the 
central  figure  of  the  group,  was  Powhatan  himself;  a  man 
who  needed  not  the  foreign  aid  of  ornament  to  render  him 
conspicuous  in  any  circle.  This  prince,  at  the  period  of 
which  we  write,  \vas  fully  sixty  years  of  age.  But  time 
had  taken  nothing  from  the  intense  fire  in  his  eye,  and  in 
no  respect  subdued  the  erect  energies  of  his  ample  stature. 
His  aspect  was  severe  and  noble.  His  presence  was  ma- 
jestical.  His  bearing  was  that  of  one  to  whom  sway 
was  habitual,  and  the  haughtiness  of  which  seemed  not 
unnatural  or  improper  to  one  accustomed  to  frequent  con 
quest.  "  He  wore,"  says  Smith,  "  such  a  grave  and 
majestical  countenance,  as  drave  me  into  admiration  to  see 
such  state  in  a  naked  salvage."  Yet  Powhatan  was  no 
naked  savage,  and  the  rudeness  of  his  state  was  by  no 
means  inconsistent  with  its  dignity.  The  "  rich  chaynes 
of  great  pearles,"  which  we  are  told  encircled  his  neck 
and  the  "  great  robe,  made  of  rarowcun  (racoon)  skinnes,' 
which  covered  his  person — their  tails  all  properly  dis 
posed  and  pendant — were  no  doubt  worn  with  quite  as 
much  s;race  and  majesty  as  the  most  costly  habiliments  of 
civilisation  Vy  the  potentates  of  Christendom.  Indeed,  it 
s  not  often  that  the  dignitaries  of  the  civilized  world — 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  147 

the  creatures  of  a  capricious  art,  and  an  unstable  conven 
tion — could  compare  in  nobleness  of  bearing  with  the  lords 
of  the  American  forest,  taught  by  nature  herself,  and  with 
limbs  rendered  free  and  graceful  in  spontaneous  movement, 
by  the  constant  exercises  of  battle  and  the  chase.  It  is 
certain,  at  least,  from  all  accounts,  that  Powhatan  needed 
quite  as  little  of  dress  and  decoration  for  the  purposes  of 
state  as  any  hereditary  prince  in  Europe.  The  face,  the 
air,  the  carriage  of  the  Emperor,  seemed  fully  to  justify 
the  unlimited  sway  which  he  held  over  the  affections  of 
his  people.  Whatever  might  have  been  the  deficiencies 
of  our  forest  chieftain,  it  is  very  sure  that  the  qualities  of 
a  noble  bearing,  lofty  demeanor,  calm  grave  intelligence 
of  aspect,  and  free  natural  movements  were  not  among 
them.  His  grace  in  the  management  of  ceremonial  shows 
him  "  to  the  manner  born  ;"  and,  subsequently,  speaking 
of  him  at  another  interview  under  less  trying  circumstances 
to  himself,  Smith  describes  him  sitting  "  uppon  a  throne 
at  the  upper  ende  of  the  house,  with  such  a  majestic  as  I 
cannot  expresse,  nor  yet  have  often  scene,  either  in  pagan 
or  Christian  ;" — a  brief  but  complete  description,  to  which 
farther  details  could  give  no  efficiency. 

There  was  one  person  in  this  assembly  whom  yet  we 
are  not  permitted  to  see.  This  is  Pocahontas.  That  she 
was  present  we  know  from  the  conspicuous  share  which 
she  took  in  the  proceedings  of  the  day.  But  no  place  has 
been  assigned  her  at  the  opening  of  the  scene  by  any  of 
our  narrators.  It  is  very  apparent  that  she  was  not  seen 
by  Smith  until  the  moment  when  she  rushed  forward  to 
his  rescue  ;  and  this  exclusion  may  be  easily  accounted 
for.  At  this  period  Pocahontas  was  a  child  of  ten  years 
old.  It  has  been  the  error  to  describe  her  as  twelve  or  thir 
teen.  This  is  the  statement  in  Stith,  Burke,  and  other 
writers,  but  it  is  without  authority.  Others  have  con- 


148  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

founded  her  with  one  of  the  two  young  women  who  sate 
at  the  head  and  feet  of  Powhatan  ;  but  Smith  himself 
describes  them  as  "  young  wenches,  of  16  or  18  years," — 
a  phraseology  which  he  never  employs  where  Pocahontas 
is  concerned.  In  the  narrative  of  Simons  in  Smith's  his 
tory,  no  allusion  is  given  to  her  age.  She  is  spoken  of  as 
the  "  King's  dearest  daughter,"  always  respectfully  and 
affectionately,  but  in  no  more  definite  manner.  The  de 
ficiency  is  supplied,  however,  in  the  narrative  entitled  a 
_"  True  Relation,"  &c.,*  purporting  to  be  written  by  Th. 
Watson,  Gent.,  but  in  reality  by  Smith  himself.  The 
»nternal  proofs  of  this  are  quite  conclusive,  even  if  there 
were  no  other.  In  this  narrative  we  have  this  descrip 
tion  :  u  Powhatan,  understanding  we  detained  certain  sal 
vages,  sent  his  daughter,  a  childe  of  tenne  years  old,  which 
not  only  for  feature,  countenance  and  proportion,  much  cx- 
ceedeth  any  of  the  rest  of  his  people,  but  for  wit  and  spirit 
the  only  nonpareil  of  his  country,  fyc."  That  the  girl  here 
described  was  jPocahontas  we  know  elsewhere  from  the 
narrative  of  Simons,  who  makes  full  mention  of  the  mis 
sion  upon  which  she  is  sent,  the  particulars  of  which  we 
shall  reach  hereafter. 

That  a  child  of  ten  years  old  should  not  be  conspicuous 


*  "  A  true  relation  of  Lach  occurrences  and  accidents  of  noate  as 
hath  happened  in  Virginia  since  the  first  planting  of  that  collony, 
which  is  now  resident  in  the  south  part  thereof,  'till  the  last  returne 
from  thence.  Written  by  Th  :  Watson,  Gent.,  one  of  said  cottony,  10 
a  worshipfull  friend  of  his  in  England.  London :  Printed  for  John 
Tappe ;  and  are  to  be  sold  at  the  Grey-hound  in  Paule's  Church 
yard,  by  W.  W.  1608."  The  copy  before  us  is  an  excellent  reprint, 
made  by  the  publishers  of  the  Southern  Literary  Messenger,  and  in 
connection  with  that  excellent  periodical.  A  preface  to  this  pamph 
let,  signed  L.  H.,  and  purporting  to  be  written  while  Smith  is  still 
one  of  the  council  in  Virginia,  asserts  him  to  be  the  author  of  it,  and 
ascribes  the  alias  to  the  blander  of  a  printer. 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  14^ 

0 

at  such  a  scene  as  that  to  which  Smith  is  conducted,  in 
natural  enough.  She  may  have  been  concealed  in  one  of 
the  troops  of  damsels  that  stood  behind  or  beside  the 
couch  of  her  father;  she  might  have  been  sitting,  timidly 
crouching,  on  some  low  rock  at  his  feet.  That  she  was 
present,  and  destined  to  exercise  a  vital  influence  upon 
the  events  which  were  to  follow,  we  already  know. 

The  appearance  of  the  captive  before  the  king  was 
welcomed  by  a  shout  from  all  the  people.  This  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  an  outbreak  of  exultation.  On  the 
contrary,  the  disposition  seems  to  have  been  to  treat  the 
prisoner  with  becoming  gravity  and  consideration.  A 
handsome  young  woman,  the  Queen  of  Apamattuck,  is 
commanded  to  bring  him  water,  in  which  to  wash  his 
hands.  Another  stands  by  with  a  bunch  of  feathers,  a 
substitute  for  the  towel,  with  which  he  dries  them.  Food 
is  then  put  before  him,  and  he  is  instructed  to  eat,  wl  ile 
a  long  consultation  takes  place  between  the  Emperor  and 
his  chief  warriors  as  to  what  shall  be  done  with  the  cap 
tive.  In  this  question  Smith  is  quite  too  deeply  interest 
ed  to  give  himself  entirely  to  the  repast  before  him.  He 
keeps  up  a  stout  heart  and  a  manly  countenance  ;  but,  to 
employ  some  of  the  lines  quoted  by  the  quaint  narrator 
whose  statements  he  adopts, 

"  Sure  his  heart  was  sad ; 

For  who  can  pleasant  be  and  rest, 
That  lives  in  feare  and  dread  1" 

The  discussion  results  unfavorably.  His  judges  decide 
against  him.  It  is  the  policy  of  the  savages  to  destroy 
him.  He  is  their  great  enemy.  He  is  the  master  spirit 
of  the  powerful  and  intrusive  strangers.  They  have 
already  discovered  this.  They  have  seen  that  by  his  will 
and  energies,  great  courage  and  equal  discretion,  he  has 
kept  down  the  discontents,  disarmed  the  rebe.lio  s  and 


150  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

strengthened  the  feeble  among  his  brethren;  and  they 
have  sagacity  enough  to  understand  how  much  more  easy 
it  will  be,  in  the  absence  of  this  one  adventurous  warrior, 
to  overthrow  and  root  out  the  white  colony  which  he  has 
planted.  It  is  no  brutal  passion  for  blood  and  murder 
which  prompts  their  resolution.  It  is  a  simple  and  clear 
policy,  such  as  has  distinguished  the  decision  in  like  cases 
of  far  more  civilized,  and  even  Christian  communities  ; — 
and  the  award  of  the  council  of  Powhatan  is  instant  death 
to  the  prisoner.  He  is  soon  apprised  of  their  decision  by 
their  proceedihgs.  Two  great  stones  are  brought  into  the 
assembly,  and  laid  before  the  king.  "  Then  as  many  as 
could  lay  hands  on  him,  dragged  him  to  them,  and  thereon 
layd  his  head."  "  Being  ready  with  their  clubs  to  beate 
out  his  braines/'  it  was  then  that  u  Pocahontas,  the  King's 
dearest  daughter,"  interposed  for  his  safety  It  seems 
that  she  first  strove  to  move  her  father  by  entreaties,  but 
finding  these  of  no  avail,  she  darted  to  the  place  of  exe 
cution,  and  before  she  could  be  prevented,  got  the  head  of 
the  captive  in  her  arms,  and  laying  her  own  upon  it,  in 
this  way  arrested  the  stroke  of  the  executioner.  And  this 
Was  the  action  of  a  child  ten  years  old  !  We  may  imagine 
the  exquisite  beauty  of  such  a  spectacle — the  infantine 
grace,  the  feminine  tenderness,  the  childish  eagerness, 
mingled  with  uncertainty  and  fear,  with  which  she  main 
tained  her  hold  upon  the  object  of  her  concern  and  solici 
tude,  until  the  wild  and  violent  passion  of  her  father  had 
been  appeased.  This  is  all  that  comes  to  us  of  the 
strange,  but  exquisite  dramatic  spectacle.  Few  details 
ar&  given  us.  The  original  narrators  from  whom  we  draw 
are  cold  and  lifeless  in  their  statements.  Smith  himself 
says  little  on  the  subject ;  and  in  the  narrative  already 
quoted — that  of  'Watson — especially  known  as  his,  it  is 
curious  to  note  that  the  whole  event  is  omitted,  not  even 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  151 

the  slightest  allusion  being  made  to  Pocahontas.  But  it 
"IsTlibf  denied  that  we  may  conceive  for  ourselves  the 
beauty  and  the  terror  of  this  highly  tragic  scene.  Imagi 
nation  may  depict  the  event  in  her  most  glowing  colors 
The  poet  and  the  painter  will  make  it  their  own.  They 
will  show  us  the  sweet  child  of  the  forest  clasping  beneath 
her  arm  the  head  of  the  pale  warrior,  while  the  stroke  of 
death,  impending  over  both,  awaits  but  the  nod  of  the 
mighty  chieftain,  whose  will  is  law  in  all  that  savage 
region.  They  will  show  us  first  the  rage  and  fury  which 
fill  his  eyes  as  he  finds  himself  baffled  by  his  child,  and 
then  the  softening  indulgence  with  which  he  regards  that 
pleading  sweetness  in  her  glance  which  has  always  had 
such  power  over  his  soul.  "  She  was  the  King's  dearest 
daughter  :" — this  is  the  language  of  the  unaffected  and 
simple  chroniclers,  and  her  entreaty  prevails  for  the  safety 
of  the  prisoner.  Her  embrace  seems  to  have  consecrated 
from  harm  the  head  of  the  strange  intruder.  The  policy 
of  her  nation,  their  pussion  for  revenge  and  blood,  all  yield 
to  the  potent  humanity  which  speaks  in  the  heart  of  that 
unbaptized  daughter  of  the  forest,  and  the  prisoner  is  freed 
from  his  bonds  and  given  to  the  damsel  who  has  saved 
him.  Henceforth  he  is  her  captive.  That  is  the  decree 
of  Powhatan.  He  shall  be  spared  to  make  her  bells  and 
her  beads,  and  to  weave,  into  proper  form  her  orname  its 
of  copper. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE  effect  of  this  timely  interposition  of  Pocahontas  was 
not  limited  to  the  mere  saving  of  our  hero's  life.  The 
results  were  highly  advantageous  in  other  respects  to  the 
colony  of  the  English.  It  secured  for  it  the  tolerance  of 
the  Emperor,  while  it  gained  for  Smith  himself  the  special 
favor  and  friendship  of  the  savage.  In  all  probability  the 
superstitious,  not  less  than  the  human  feelings  of  Pow- 
hatan,  were  touched  by  the  unlocked  for  interference  of 
his  daughter  in  the  bloody  scene  which  he  was  preparing 
to  enact.  Such  a  boldness  at  the  perilous  and  precious 
moment,  in  a  child  so  young,  might  well  awaken,  even  in 
more  sophisticated  natures,  an  impression  that  the  act  was 
of  providential  inspiration — the  work  of  a  superior  agency. 
At  all  events,  the  benefits  were  soon  apparent.  Smith 
was  not  only  spared,  but  taken  into  immediate  favor.  The 
Emperor  assured  him  of  his  friendship,  professed  to  regard 
him  as  his  own  son,  and  promised  him  his  liberty  in  a  few 
days.  But  these  favors  were  coupled  with  conditiors. 
Powhatan  was  ambitious  of  being  the  possessor  of  certain 
of  the  great  guns,  of  whose  terrible  powers  vague  accounts 
had  already  reached  his  ears.  The  uses  of  a  grindstone 
were  also  known  to  him,  and  one  of  these  was  an  object 
of  his  desire  To  obtain  these  chattels,  he  promised  his 
captive  the  entire  country  of  Capahosick  ;  a  territory  the 
limits  of  which  it  would  perhaps  be  somewhat  difficult  at 
this  day  to  define. 

Smith  was  some\vhat  cheered  by  these  assurances,  and 
this  display  of  kindness  ;  but  he  put  little,  faith  in  the  sin- 


TIFB     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  •  153 

cerity  of  ilits  ravage  monarch.  He  was  conscious  himself 
of  a  certain  uegree  of  practice  in  his  own  assurances,  and 
felt  but  little  confidence,  accordingly,  in  what  was  told 
him.  Their  conferences  together  were  very  frequent,  and 
on  the  best  footing  of  amity.  What  had  been  told  of  our 
hero  to  Powhatan  had  evidently  impressed  him  greatly 
with  his  ability  and  courage.  All  that  he  had  previously 
related  to  Opechancanough  was  now  to  be  repeated  ;  and 
a  thousand  questions  were  asked  with  regard  to  the  com 
ing  and  objects  of  the  English,  which  it  required  all  the 
prudence  and  subtlety  of  Smith  to  answer,  without  endan 
gering  the  friendly  relations  between  the  parties.  It  need 
not  be  said  that  our  adventurer  made  no  scruple  of  sup 
pressing  the  truth  where  it  served  his  purpose  to  do  so. 
He  had  discovered  that  the  Indians  of  Powhatan  had  suf 
fered  some  injuries  from  Spanish  vessels,  and  he  framed 
his  own  story  to  suit  the  prejudices  of  his  hearer.  His 
people  had  been  overpowered  in  a  fight  with  the  Spaniards, 
their  enemies,  and  had  sought  shelter  in  the  Chesapeake 
The  story  was  plausible,  and  the  enmity  of  both  to  the 
Spaniards  was  the  source  of  a  new  tie  between  them 
But  his  exploring  voyage  in  a  canoe  to  the  heads  of  the 
rivers  of  the  country,  suggested  a  new  doubt  to  Powhatan, 
and  new, difficulties  to  his  captive.  But  to  his  questions 
on  this  head  the  ready  invention  of  Smith  found  a  prompt 
answer.  A  brother  had  been  slain  by  a  people  living  in 
the  rear  of  the  territories  of  Powhatan,  who  were  suppos 
ed  to  be  the  Monacans,  his  enemies  also.  The  murder 
of  this  youth  it  was  his  business  to  revenge.  These  mo 
tives  our  savage  found  very  good  and  justifiable,  and  led 
Powhatan  into  a  description  of  his  territories  and  those  of 
his  neighbors  ;  how  they  lay,  and  how  they  were  water 
ed  ;  what  was  the  number,  and  what  were  the  habits  of 
the  Anchawaehucks  -whom  he  assumed  to  be  those  by 


J  54  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

whom  Smith's  brother  had  been  slain — and  the  "Pocough- 
tronacks,  a  fierce  nation,  who  did  eate  men."  Some  of 
these  people  were  described  as  carrying  "  swords  like 
pollaxes,"  and  wearing  long  hair  on  the  neck,  though  their 
crowns  were  shaven.  Beyond  the  territories  of  these, 
Powhatan  described  yet  other  tribes,  some  of  whom  wore 
short  coats,  with  sleeves  to  the  elbows,  and  travelled  the 
seas  in  ships  like  those  of  the  English.  He  had  other 
tales  of  yet  other  kingdoms  and  people — vague  outlines 
which,  when  we  consider  the  imperfect  modes  among  the 
savages  of  estimating  time  and  distance,  it  would  be  quite 
unprofitable  to  examine  or  review.  Smith,  however, 
drank  in  his  statements  with  attentive  ears.  A  mighty 
river  was  described  by  Powhatan,  having  numerous  king 
doms  on  its  banks,  which  might  be  the  Mississippi  ;  the 
imperfect  knowledge  of  the  languages  of  the  parties  ren 
dering  doubtful  between  them,  even  matters  the  most 
precise  and  natural.  A  clothed  people,  cities  of  walled 
houses,  a  people  having  abundance  of  brass — or  gold  ; 
these  were  the  wonders  which  the  Indian  Emperor  related 
to  his  European  companion,  expatiating  upon  his  own  and 
the  prowess  of  his  tributaries  and  rivals.  Smith  was  not 
to  be  outdone  in  wonders.  In  requital  for  the  geography 
and  history  of  Apalachia,  he  bestowed  upon  Powhatan  a 
comprehensive  account  of  all  the  wonders  of  Europe  ; — 
the  multitude  of  ships  and  cities — the  thunders  of  their 
wars — the  glories  of  their  martial  array — and  the  ear- 
piercing  character  of  drums  and  trumpets.  Our  sagacious 
adventurer  knew  well  in  what  manner  to  awaken  the 
admiration,  and  compel  the  respect  of  the  dusky  chieftain. 
He  took  care  to  impress  him  with  the  military  powers  U 
the  possession  of  Captain  Newport,  who  was  daily  expect 
ed  with  supplies  from  England  ;  and  whom,  adopting  an 
Indian  title,  the  better  to  be  understood,  he  called  the 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  155 

Werowance,  or  Prince,  of  all  the  waters  of  the  sea.  By 
this  timely  suggestion  he  made  it  easy  sailing  for  Newport 
in  after  days. 

These  mutual  communications  greatly  increased  the  inti 
macy  between  the  parties,  though  Smith  does  not  seem 
to  have  foregone  his  doubts  of  the  good  faith  of  Povvha 
tan,  until  he  was  fairly  beyond  his  power.  His  detention 
lasted  but  a  few  days,  which  were  naturally  demanded  by 
the  curiosity  of  the  Indian  monarch,  and  his  people.  In 
deed,  less  time  could  scarcely  have  been  yielded  to  the 
immense  amount  of  diplomacy  which  was  required  be 
tween  them.  So .  greatly  did  Powhatan  come  to  admire 
his  European  acquaintance  in  the  sequel,  that  he  desired 
him  to  forsake  the  country  of  Paspahegh,  where  he  had 
settled,  and  to  come  more  closely  into  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  VVerowocomocco.  He  promised  that  the 
English  should  lose  nothing  by  it,  but  that  he  would  supply 
them  with  all  necessaries — with  corn,  venison,  and  all  man 
ner  of  food,  and  protect  them  against  all  enemies,  for 
which  he  should  demand  nothing  but  their  labor  in  rinding 
him  in  hatchets,  and  working  copper  for  him  according  to 
instructions.  Smith  gave  him  good  words,  and  spoke 
him  fairly  but  evasively.  He  promised  him  his  great  guns, 
and  grindstones,  as  soon  as  he  should  get  to  Jamestown ; 
and  after  being  treated  with  a  hospitality  and  kindness, 
which  Smith  acknowledges  without  reserve,  he  despatched 
him  under  the  charge  of  twelve  men*  on  his  way  to  the 
colony. 


*  '•  Tirdxe guides"  according  to  the  "  Discoveries  "  and  "Accidents." 
The  "  True  Relation  "  says  four,  and  with  such  detail  that  the  sen 
tence  deserves  to  be  given.  "  Having,  with  all  the  kindness  hee 
amid  devise,  sought  to  content  me,  he  sent  me  home  with  4  men,— 
one  that  usuallv  carried  my  gowue  and  knapsack  after  inc.  two 
<  4-  lr,ale  with  bread,  and  one  to  accompany  me.;>  Bitb 


156  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

But  the  apprehensions  of  Smith  were  not  to  be  lulled 
into  quiet,  by  all  these  shows  of  kindness,  and  one  or  more 
little  circumstances,  while  on  the  journey,  kept  him  in  a 
state  of  lively  apprehension.  He  still  had  his  fears  that 
he  was  to  be  eaten,  and  that  this  was  the  true  secret  of 
all  their  solicitude  in  feasting  him.  He  was  only  to  be 
fattened,  and  decorated,  like  a  lamb  for  the  slaughter. 
The  distance,  in  a  direct  route,  from  Werowocomocro  to 
Jamestown,  was  only  twelve  miles,  yet  nothing  could 
persuade  his  guides  to  advance  properly  forward.  "The 
Indians  trifled  away  that  day,  and  would  not  goe  to  our 
fort  by  any  persuasions."  The  first  night  after  leaving 
Powhatan,  they  "  quartered  in  the  woods,"  so  we  are 
told  by  one  narrative  ;  another,  more  certainly  his  ownt 
says,  "  in  certain  olde  hunting  houses  of  Paspahegh,  we 
lodged  all  night."  "  He  still  expecting  (as  he  had  done 
all  this  long  time  of  his  imprisonment)  every  houre  to  be 
put  to  one  death  or  other,  for  all  their  feasting."  But 
his  apprehensions  proved  groundless.  "  Almighty  God 
(by  his  divine  providence)  had  mollified  the  hearts  of 
those  sterne  barbarians  with  compassion."  They  neither 
killed  nor  eat  him  ;  but,  whatever  might  have  been  their 
m  )tive  for  the  unnecessary  delay,  u  the  nexte  morning, 
ere  sunrise,  we  set  forward  for  our  fort,  where  we  arrived 
within  an  hour." 

Here  Smith  found  himself  welcomed  on  every  hand 
with  tne  truest  shows  of  friendship  and  satisfaction.  He 

narratives  may  be  correct ;  other  Indians  may  have  joined  them  en 
route ;  and  when  we  recollect  that  grindstones,  and  great  guns,  were 
to  be  carried  back  by  the  savages,  twelve  of  them  wi)1  not  be  deemed 
an  excessive  number  for  the  escort.  One  would  thirk  too,  that  two 
men  to  carnj  the  bread  alone,  would  be  a  rather  larp-e  proportion  to 
the  number  which  it  was  to  feed,  if  these  were  limited  to  four.  The 
point,  however,  is  of  no  great  importance. 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH..  157 

was  greeted  as  one  from  the  dead  ;  it  was  as  if  the  grave 
had  given  up  its  prey  ;  and  in  his  absence,  and  supposed 
loss,  the  colonists,  perhaps  for  the  first  time,  began  tc 
feel  how  necessary  he  had  been  to  their  safety,  and  the 
success  of  the  settlement.  Things  had  gone  ill  during  his 
absence,  and  there  were  some  few  exceptions  to  the  al 
most  universal  language  of  congratulation  which  hailed 
his  return.  Captain  Archer,  who  had  been  sworn  of  the 
council,  in  his  place,  and  while  he  was  supposed  to  have 
perished,  was  by  no  means  glad  to  see  him  ;  and  there 
were  some  two  or  three  of  his  creatures,  who  suffered  bin) 
to  see  that  he  was  much  less  likely  to  offend  them  while 
he  remained  with  the  Indians,  than  when  he  came  to  thwart 
their  progress  in  the  infant  settlement.  His  return  was  ex 
ceedingly  opportune.  He  found  a  large  party  of  discon 
tents  preparing  once  more  to  run  away  with  the  pinnace, 
and  to  break  up  the  colony.  Their  plans  were  laid,  and 
the  appointed  hour  had  arrived,  and  all  was  baffled  again  by 
his  providential  coming.  He  soon  fathomed  their  schemes, 
and  being  rightly  advised,  with  the  soldier-like  decision 
that  distinguished  all  his  actions,  he  put  the  fort  and  his 
chosen  men  in  order,  so  that  the  mutineers  could  only  suc 
ceed  in  the  teeth  of  "  sackre,  falcon  and  musket  shot,"  in 
getting  off  with  the  pinnace.  "  For  the  third  time,"  at  "the 
hazzard  of  his  life,"  Smith  "  forced  them  to  stay,  or 
sinke." 

Finding  that  they  must  submit,  and  that  nothing  could 
be  effected  with  such  a  "  master  of  fence  "  at  his  own  wea 
pons,  they  had  recourse  to  subtleties,  under  the  nam-e  of 
law,  for  the  better  overthrow  of  their  arch  enemy.  Hav 
ing;  laid  their  own  heads  together,  and  so  confounded  that 
of  the  President,  Captain  Martin,  as  for  the  time  to  get  his 
sanction  to  their  proceedings,  they  charged  upon  Smith 
the  death  of  the  two  men,  Ernry  and  Robinson,  who  had 
11 


1 58  LIFE      OF      C  A  P  T  A  I  N      SMITH. 

been  slain  by  the  Indians,  at  the  time  of  his  capture. 
The  Levitical  law  was  applied  to  the  case  of  our  adven 
turer,  and,  urging  that  it  was  by  his  fault  or  practice  that 
they  had  come  by  their  death,  they  required  that  his  life 
should  atone  for  his  crime  or  error.  The  two  persons,  for 
whose  lives  he  was  thus  required  to  answer,  had  fallen 
victims  to  their  own  imprudence,  and  the  neglect  of  Smith's 
especial  orders.  Upon  this  charge,  so  very  absurd,  they 
built  their  hopes  to  take  his  life,  or  at  all  events  to  depose 
him  from  his  sway  in  the  colony,  and  his  seat  at  the  coun 
cil.  But  Smith  was  too  much  of  a  man  and  soldier  to  be 
caught,  and  thrown  upon  his  back,  by  such  flimsy  subtle 
ties  as  this.  He  quickly  took  such  order  with  these  crude 
colony  lawyers,  that  he  laid  them  by  the  heels,  and  had 
them  very  soon  as  prisoners  on  the  high  road  to  England. 
The  timely  arrival  of  Captain  Newport  enabled  him  more 
effectually  to  triumph  over  his  enemies.  Newport  saw 
through  their  malice,  and  his  support  and  sympathy  served 
for  a  time  to  silence  and  to  subdue  all  disaffection  to  that 
authority  which  it  was  in  the  nature  of  such  a  man  as 
Smith  to  exercise,  in  every  situation  of  difficulty  and  dis 
tress.  The  want  of  food  which  ensued  upon  his  absence 
from  the  colony,  had  given  strength  to  the  objects  of  the 
malcontents,  none  of  whom  seems  to  have  possessed  the 
ability,  the  courage,  and  the  skill  by  which  Smith  had  al 
ways  before  succeeded  in  procuring  the  requisite  supplies. 
His  failure  and  captivity  served  completely  to  discourage 
their  enterprise.  His  resolution,  and  determination  to  keep 
the  discontents  from  leaving  the  colony,  were  assisted  by  the 
news  he  brought  of  the  favor  of  Powhatan,  and  of  the  abun 
dance  of  food  which  might  be  obtained  from  that  savage 
chieftain,  in  this  season  of  his  good  humor  ;  and  his  story 
of  the  rescue  of  his  life  by  Pocahontas,  "  so  revived  theii 
dead  spirits,"  as  to  make  almost  all  of  them  abandon  thei 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  159 

fears  of  famine.  They  saw  in  this  alliance  with  the  great 
est  potentate  of  the  country,  and  in  the  affection  which 
he  and  his  daughter  had  conceived  for  their  favorite  lead 
er,  a  guaranty  against  all  the  privations  of  the  future  ; 
and,  as  is  usual  with  persons  of  such  condition,  were  as 
easily  persuaded  to  the  extreme  of  hope  and  exultation, 
as,  but  a  little  while  before,  and  with  as  slender  reason, 
they  had  been  hurried  to  the  verge  of  despair  and  mutiny. 
"  Now  whether,"  writes  John  Smith,  though  his  chapter 
is  claimed  to  be  the  production  of  three  others*  besides 
himself,  though  his  hand  is  clearly  legible  in  every  sen 
tence  ;  "  Now,  whether  it  had  beene  better  for  Captaine 
Smith  to  have  concluded  with  any  of  those  severall  pro 
jects,  to  have  abandoned  the  countrey,  with  some  ten  or 
twelve  of  them,  who  were  called  the  belter  sort,  and  have 
left  Mr.  Hunt  our  Preacher,  Master  Anthony  Gosnell,  a 
most  honest,  worthy,  and  industrious  Gentleman,  Master 
Thomas  Wotlon,  and  some  27  others  of  his  countrymen,  to 
the  fury  of  the  savages,  famine,  and  all  manner  of  mis- 
chiefes  and  inconveniences  (for  they  were  but  fortie  in  all 
to  keepe  possession  of  this  large  countrey),  or  starve  him 
self  with  them  for  company,  for  want  of  lodging  ;  or  for 
adventuring  abroad  to  make  them  provision,  or  by  his  op 
position  to  preserve  the  action,  and  save  all  their  lives 
(here  the  four  writers  dwindle  into  the  first  person  singu 
lar),  "  I,"  here  Smith  speaks  out  for  himself — "  I  leave 
all  honest  men  to  consider,"  is  the  conclusion  of  the  para 
graph.  Time  has  saved  us  the  work  of  consideration.  The 
results  have  justified  the  proceedings  of  our  hero.  We 
must  not  omit  to  notice  his  allusion  here  to  the  "  ten  or 
twelve"  called  "the  better  sort."  Smith,  from  the  be- 


*  Written  by  Thomas  Studlei/,  the  first  cape  merchant  in  Virginia, 
Robert  FtJitou,  Edward  Harrington,  and  /.  S.  (note,  to  Chap.  & 
Book  3,  of  the  "  True  Travels." 


160  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

ginning,  complains  of  the  vast  disproportion  between  the 
workingmen  and  the  gentlemen  sent  to  the  colony.  The 
passage  which  we  have  just  quoted,  is  evidently  meant  as 
argumentative  and  justificatory,  and  intended  to  neutralize 
the  opinions  which  the  representations  of  these  gentlemen 
in  England  might  provoke  at  his  expense. 

Smith  did  not  suffer  the  commotions  and  strifes  at 
Jamestown  to  make  him  forgetful  of  his  Indian  guides, 
and  the  promises  he  had  made  to  Powhatan.  Having 
fed  and  housed  them  well,  endeavoring  as  well  as  he  could 
to  impress  them  equally  with  his  magnificence  and  hospi 
tality,  he  called  them  up  on  the  morning  after  his  return, 
and  placed  the  great  guns  and  the  grindstones  hefore 
them.  The  cannon  proffered  them  wrere  two  demi-cul- 
verins.  The  weight  of  a  grindstone,  of  ordinary  size,  may 
be  imagined.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  a  single  tnai  of 
Indian  strength  upon  these  formidal:!-.-  masses,  soon  put  out 
of  their  heads  entirely,  the  notion  that  they  couid  he  car 
ried  upon  their  shoulders  ;  and  their  reluctance  to  make 
the  attempt  wras  greatly  increased,  when  stuffing  the  bow 
els  of  his  cannon  with  a  decent  load  of  powder  and  stones, 
Smith  applied  the  torch,  and  allowed  them  to  hear  the 
bellowing  thunder,  and  see  the  wild  lightning  which  is 
sued  from  their  jaws,  And  when  they  saw  the  effect 
among  the  trees  of  the  forest,  their  great  boughs  loaded 
with  icicles,  torn  away  by  the  shot,  and  tumbling  in  all 
directions  to  the  ground,  the  trusty  followers  of  Powhatan 
took  to  their  heels,  half  dead  with  fear.  They  could  not 
be  persuaded  to  burd  -n  themselves  with  gifts,  as  terrible 
as  they  were  burdensome  arid  weighty.  But  our  adven 
turer  did  not  send  them  away  with  empty  hands.  He 
was  not  ungrateful  to  Powhatan,  still  less  was  he  indiffer* 
?nt  to  the  sympathies  of  the  sweet  forest  damsel  to  whose 
**arm  humanities  he  was  indebted  for  his  life-  For  h*»  he 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     S  M  I  1   H  .  161 

felt  a  deep  attachment,  such,  perhaps,  as  a  father  might 
feel  for  a  dear  child,  as  precious  to  him  by  reason  of  her 
own  merits,  as  by  blood.  It  is  one  of  the  vulgar  errors  of 
modern  times  that  Pocahontas  felt  for  Smith  a  different 
sort  of  attachment,  and  it  is  made  his  reproach,  that  he 
showed  himself  insensible  to  her  love.  This  is  mere  igno 
rance  and  absurdity.  By  his  own  showing  she  was  but 
ten  years  old  at  this  period,  and  he  was  near  thirty. 
He  speaks  of  her  always  as  a  child — as  a  dear  child  ;  and  it 
is  evident  he  thought  her  so,  and  her  language  for  him  is 
that  only  of  veneration.  It  is  an  erroneous  notion  of  the 
requisites  of  the  romantic,  to  demand  that  a  warmer  senti 
ment  than  that  of  father  and  daughter  should  spring  up 
between  such  parties.  It  is  to  this  notion  only,  that  we 
owe  the  charge  of  ingratitude  which  has  been  made 
against  Smith,  because  of  his  supposed  neglect  of  her  af 
fections.  But  of  this  hereafter.  Enough  that  he  sent  away 
his  Indian  guides  well  satisfied  with  the  commodities  sub 
stituted  for  the  great  guns  and  the  grindstone.  Nor  does 
it  anywhere  appear  that  Powhatan  was  any  whit  less  con 
tented  with  what  he  received,  than  his  messengers  witfi 
v  hat  they  bore. 


BOOK  THIRD. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE  captivity  ot  Smith  among  the  people  of  Powhatan 
lasted  for  nearl)  ceven  weeks.  Though  painfully,  this 
time  was  not  un^kofitably  spent.  Habitually  a  close 
observer,  he  gathered  a  very  large  amount  of  useful  know 
ledge  from  the  InuS^a ;  learned  to  comprehend  their 
modes  of  thinking  and  «oeling  ;  to  trace  their  motives  ;  to 
analyze  their  arts  ;  ami  t»>  fathom,  with  great  sagacity, 
their  general  character.  '1  tiat  he  mistakes  frequently,  and 
misrepresents,  is  to  be  expected  from  his  imperfect  know 
ledge  of  their  language,  and  irom  the  policy  of  the  savage, 
who  is  cautious,  circumspect,  and  peculiarly  anxious  to 
avoid  examination.  Smith  hhJs  them  brave,  capable  of 
great  endurance,  a  simple  but  d  shrewd  people,  and  cun 
ning  and  treacherous,  as  all  inferior  people  are  apt  to 
prove  themselves  when  brought  into  contact  with  a  supe 
rior.  If  anything,  he  undervalues  them,  and  withholds  a 
proper  acknowledgment  of  the^  virtues.  He  was  quite 
too  much  the  soldier  of  that  j>eriod  to  escape  the  usual 
prejudices  of  the  class,  and  cannot  well  be  expected  to 
think  well  of  a  race  by  whom  he  expects  momently  to  be 
eaten — sacrificed  to  their  hideous  god,  with  an  unpro 
nounceable  name,  Quioughquosickee ;  their  Devil,  as  Dr. 
Simons  writes,  but  most  likely  their  god  of  physic.  Set 
ting  forth  with  a  notion  very  common  at  that  time  in  the 


LIFEOF      CAPTAIN     SMITH  163 

European  world,  that  the  savages  of  the  unknown  regions 
are  generally  cannibals,  he  looks  with  a  jaundiced  eye, 
and  with  growing  suspicion  of  their  objects,  even  when 
they  are  practising  the  highest  virtues  of  hospitality  and 
society.  It  is  because  of  prejudices  such  as  these,  that 
the  mild  European  became  himself  so  frequently  a  savage 
when  he  found  himself  in  contact  with  the  wild  and  wick 
ed  inhabitants  of  the  western  world.  Smith  despised  the 
race  because  of  their  feebleness  and  unperformance  ;  and 
feared  and  hated  them  because  of  their  supposed  indul 
gence  in  habits  and  practices,  from  which  subsequent 
experience  shows  that  they  were  perfectly  free.  But,  in 
their  power,  he  was  sagacious  enough  to  betray  none  of 
these  prejudices  or  passions.  He  could  play  the  politician, 
when  it  served  his  turn,  as  well  as  the  soldier ;  and  the 
stroke  of  death  once  suspended  by  the  interposition  of 
Pocahontas,  he  puts  forth  all  the  cunning  of  his  right  hand, 
to  maintain  himself  in  the  position  of  favor  which  he  has 
so  unexpectedly  wron.  He  flattered  the  pride  of  Pow- 
hatan,  and  conciliated  the  stranger  chiefs  around  him.  He 
was  soon  enabled  to  observe  what  were  the  distinguishing 
traits  of  the  savage,  and  to  ascertain  in  what  respects  they 
were  peculiarly  susceptible.  To  their  vanity,  which  is 
strong  in  the  Indian  bosom,  he  made  judicious  appeals  ; 
and,  while  flattering  their  self-esteem,  he  contrived  very 
happily  to  impress  them  with  admiration  of  his  own  won 
derful  resources.  To  make  them  feel  and  respect  his 
importance,  without  subjecting  their  own  vanity  to  morti 
fication,  might  be  a  matter  of  some  difficulty ;  but,  as  his 
experience  prove  I.  it  was  not  an  impossible  one. 

To  us,  with  our  better  knowledge  of  the  Indians  and 
the  country  than  he  could  possibly  have  acquired  then, 
his  description  of  these  objects  can  possess  but  little  value. 
We  refer  to  them  now  only  to  show  how  vigilant  was  his 


164  LIFE      OF      CAP   IAIN     SMITH. 

observation,  and  how  generally  extensive  and  correct. 
But  the  knowledge  which  he  thus  obtained  was  of  vast 
service  in  his  day,  to  the  colony,  and  of  .verv  consi 
derable  interest  in  Europe,  in  correcting  the  erroneous 
'mpressions  which  were  generally  afloat  in  regard  to  the 
American  aborigines.  To  the  colony  it  came  at  an  aus 
picious  juncture,  as  it  occasioned  renewed  confidence  in 
an  enterprise  which,  in  the  treaty  of  amnesty  and  amity 
made  with  Powhatan,  seemed  to  have  received  the  last 
essential  and  desirable  sanction.  Nor  did  events  for  some 
time  contradict  the  sanguine  assurances  of  Smith,  and  the 
eager  hopes  of  his  people.  The  Indians  seemed  all  of  a 
sudden  to  have  reformed  the  usual  caprice  of  their  charac 
ter.  The  intimacy  begun  with  Powhatan  was  kept  alive 
by  a  frequent  interchange  of  good  offices  between  the  par 
ties  ;  and  the  young  maiden,  Pocahontas,  with  her  attend 
ants,  made  frequent  visits  to  Jamestown,  bringing  with 
her  such  abundant  supplies  of  provision,  that  hunger  and 
the  dread  of  starvation  was  no  longer  the  object  of  terror 
among  the  doubting  and  the  discontent.  The  visits  of 
Pocahontas  are  described,  at  this  period,  as  occurring 
every  four  or  five  days.  Female,  and  childish,  and  sav 
age  curiosity  were  all  no  doubt  combined  in  effecting  this 
intimacy,  and  the  provisions  were,  in  all  probability,  only 
brought  as  a  pretext  for  the  visit.  But  other  Indians 
came  daily,  all  bringing  something  in  the  shape  of  food, 
either  as  gifts  from  Powhatan  or  Pocahontas,  or  as  their 
own  tribute  to  the  superior  genius  of  the  man,  who,  to 
employ  the  language  of  one  of  the  narratives  before  us, 
"had  so  inchanted  these  pooresoules  being  their  prisoner."* 
The  arrival  of  Captain  Newport  just  about  the  time  when 


*  Chap,  iii.,  iv.  and  v.  of  the  "  Discoveries  and  Accidents,"  ascrib» 
ed  to  Walter  Russell,  Anas  Todkill,  and  Thou^s  Momford, 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  165 

Smith  had  assured  them  he  would  come,  increased  their 
confidence  in  his  wonderful  superiority  ;  and,  regarding 
him  as  an  oracle,  he  brought  them  to  such  a  degree  of 
submission  that  u  he  might  command  them  at  what  he 
listed  ;"  and  in  this  deference  they  came  habitually  Vo 
acknowledge  the  God  of  the  Christians,  whom  they  spoke 
of  commonly  aS  the  "God  of  Captaine  Smith."  To  Smith 
indeed,  and  to  him  only,  all  their  reverence  was  shown. 
It  was  not  until  he  made  his  appearance  that  they  could 
be  persuaded  to  approach  the  fort  ;  but  in  the  cover  ot 
the  woods  they  remained,  calling  him  by  name,  and  com 
ing  forward  as  soon  as  he  showed  him.self  at  the  entrance 
Nothing  would  they  sell  till  they  had  placed  all  that  they 
had  at  his  discretion.  He  affixed  the  prices  to  their  com 
modities,  and  with  these  they  always  seemed  very  well 
satisfied.  This  attachment,  so  confiding  and  extreme,  on 
the  part  of  those  who  had  always  shown  themselves  so 
jealous  and  suspicious  in  their  intercourse  with  strangers, 
became  a  new  subject  of  annoyance  to  the  vain  men,  the 
malcontents  within  the  fort,  by  whom  the  abilities  of 
Smith  were  always  decried,  and  his  power  so  frequently 
resisted.  His  estimation  among  the  savages  was  a  sub 
ject  of  envy  among  his  Christian  brethren  in  council, 
some  of  whom  were  at  the  pains  to  labor  diligently  in 
the  endeavor  to  dispossess  the  Indians  of  their  overween 
ing  attachment  for  their  associate.  In  this  labor  of  love 
their  objects  were  promoted  greatly  by  the  looseness  and 
indulgence  which  followed  upon  the  arrival  of  Newport's 
vessels.  New  faces  from  the  mother  country,  with  the 
fresh  supplies  which  they  brought,  occasioned  such  gene 
ral  gratification,  that  the  mariners  were  suffered  the  free- 

O 

dom  of  the  settlement.  They  soon  ruined  the  market 
with  the  Indians.  Smith  had  prudently  rated  the  wares 
of  the  English  at  the  values  set  upon  them  by  th  ?ndians 


166  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

themselves  ;  the  desires  of  the  purchaser  constituting 
the  standard  by  which  the  worth  of  the  commodity  was 
to  be  measured.  By  this  means,  maize,  beans,  and 
venison,  the  usual  articles  brought  for  sale  by  the  savages, 
were  easily  procured  with  small  quantities  of  European 
goods.  But  the  profligacy  of  the  seamen  soon  defeated 
all  the  prudent  policy  of  Smith,  and  rendered  it  easy  to 
persuade  the  Indians  of  the  mistake  which  they  had  made 
in  so  highly  esteeming  his  power.  It  was  soon  found  that 
a  pound  of  copper  could  not  now  buy  the  grain  which  an 
ounce  could  formerly  procure  ;  and  the  greatness  of  Smith 
sunk  completely  out  of  sight  in  the  vast  stature  which 
Captain  Newport  acquired  among  the  traders  of  Powhatan. 
Thus,  says  our  author  quaintly,  "  ambition  and  sufferance 
cut  the  throat  of  our  trade.'* 

Such  being  the  condition  of  affairs,  our  hero  persuaded 
Captain  Newport  that  a  visit  to  Powhatan  himself,  at  We- 
rowocomoco,  would  be  a  proper  and  advantageous  pro 
ceeding.  It  was  desirable  to  impress  that  savage  chieftain 
with  a  high  idea  of  the  power  of  the  English  people.  It 
was  also  highly  important  to  confirm  the  good  understand 
ing,  and  to  extend  the  intercourse  which  had  been  estab 
lished  between  the  parties.  Newport  concurred  with 
Smith  in  this  policy,  and  sending  certain  presents  to  Pow 
hatan,  as  from  Newport,  Smith  advised  the  former  of  the 
projected  visit.  For  this,  preparations  were  at  once  made 
on  both  sides.  The  pinnace  was  prepared,  and  Smith  and 
Newport,  with  some  thirty  or  forty  chosen  men,  as  a 
guard,  proceeded  towards  Worowocomoco,  provided  with 
the  usual  articles  of  Indian  traffic.  As  they  drew  nigh  to 
the  immediate  territories  of  Powhatan,  the  good  Captain 
Newport,  who  had  no  sort  of  experience  as  an  Indian 
fighter,  or  perhaps  as  a  fighter  of  any  kind,  began  to  en 
tertain  some  misgivings  as  to  the  prudence  of  the  adven- 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  '67 

ture.  He  had  heard  a  great  deal  of  Indian  treachery,  and 
his  apprehensions  of  danger  increased  with  his  meditations 
upon  what  he  had  heard.  He  soon  suffered  Smith  to  see 
that  he  wras  exceedingly  reluctant  at  being  caught  in  a 
predicament,  such  as  that  from  which  the  latter  had  so  re 
cently  and  narrowly  escaped.  His  knight-errantry  was 
not  of  a  sort  to  be  easily  reconciled  to  the  peril,  by  the 
possible  pleasant  romance  which  might  attend  his  rescue 
from  it ;  and  it  tasked  all  the  argument  of  Smith  to  per 
suade  him  to  a  continuance  of  the  project.  There  were 
certain  appearances  about  the  shores  of  Werowocomoco, 
which,  in  particular,  alarmed  his  fears.  The  landing 
was  not  a  good  one,  creeks  were  to  be  crossed,  and  over 
these  the  Indians  had  thrown  some  rude  contrivances  in 
the  fashion  of  a  bridge,  which,  to  the  suspicious  eyes  of 
Newport,  seemed  neither  more  nor  less  than  traps,  in 
which,  when  his  legs  were  once  fairly  entangled,  his  over 
throw  and  execution  were  easy.  We  can  very  well  fancy 
with  what  difficulty  a  veteran  like  Smith  concealed  his 
scorn  at  this  show  of  imbecility.  He,  at  length,  as  little 
troubled  by  fears  of  personal  danger,  or  of  any  sort,  as  any 
man,  dead  or  living,  volunteered,  at  the  head  of  twenty 
men  of  the  party,  to  go  ahead,  and  "  encounter  the  worst 
that  could  happen."  To  this  arrangement  Newport  con 
sented,  and  \vhile  he  remained  in  the  pinnace,  with  one- 
half  of  the  force,  Smith  set  out  with  his  "  twenty  shot 
armed  in  Jacks,"*  and  going  ashore,  was  met  by  a  num 
ber  of  the  Indians,  among  whom  was  the  king's  son,  Nan- 
taquis,  the  chief  by  whom  he  had  been  captured,  and  many 
other  persons  of  distinction.  These  accompanied  him  on 
his  journey,  though  Smith  so  contrived  to  intermingle  with 

*  Mail,  or  quilted  jackets,  generally  in   modern  times  a  merely 
padded  garment,  affording  partial  protection  against  Indian  arrows 


168  LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH 

his  own  men,  the  king's  son  and  their  chiefs,  as,  in  the 
event  of  any  mischief,  to  have  them  sufficiently  in  his 
power  to  enahle  him  to  control  their  followers  through 
their  fears.  His  caution  seems  to  have  been  unnecessary. 
Their  progress  was  unembarrassed,  and  the  behavior  of  the 
Indians  was  equally  kind  and  unexceptionable. 

Powhatan  received  our  hero  with  a  great  show  of  re 
joicing  and  state.  "  Sitting  upon  his  bed  of  mats,  his  pil 
low  of  leather  imbrodered  (after  their  rude  manner,  with 
pearle  and  white  beads),  his  attyre  a  fine  robe  of  skinnes, 
as  large  as  an  Irish  mantell ;  at  his  head  and  feete  a  hand 
some  younge  woman  ;  on  each  side  his  house  sat  twentie 
of  his  concubines,  their  heads  and  shoulders  painted  red, 
with  a  great  chaine  of  white  beades  about  each  of  their 
neckes.  Before  those  sat  his  chiefest  men,  in  like  order  in 
his  arbour-like  house,  and  more  than  fortie  platters  of  fine 
bread  stood  as  a  guard  in  two  fyles  on  each  side  the  doore. 
Foure  or  five  hundred  people  made  a  guard  behinde  them 
for  our  passage,  and  proclamation  was  made,  none  upon 
paine  of  death  to  presume  to  do  us  any  wrong  or  discour- 
tesie." 

This  certainly  shows  well  for  the  barbaric  state  of  the  for 
est  chieftain.  It  is  not  difficult  to  believe  that  Smith 
spoke  without  exaggeration  when,  describing  the  noble 
appearance  of  this  proud  savage,  he  says,  "  it  is  of  such  a 
majestie  as  I  cannot  well  expresse,  nor  yet  have  often- 
seene,  either  in  Pagan  or  Christian.  V\rith  a  kind  coun 
tenance  he  bade  all  welcome^  and  caused  a  place  to  bee 
made  by  himselfe  to  sit."  Smith  presented  him  with  a 
suit  of  red  cloth,  a  white  greyhound,  and  a  hat.  These 
were  welcomed  with  an  address,  in  which  they  were 
kindly  accepted,  in  proof  of  the  perpetual  friendship  which 
was  to  exist  between  the  parties.  Water  was  brought  for 
the  ablutions  of  the  guest,  and  food  was  set  before  him 


LIFE    OK      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  169 

"  But  where  is  your  father  ?"  meaning  Newport,  was  the 
demand  of  Powhatan.  Smith  promised  that  he  should  see 
him  the  next  day.  The  next  question  was  propounded 
with  a  merry  countenance.  "  Where  are  the  great  guns 
which  you  promised  me  when  you  went  to  Paspahegh  r" 
Powhatan  was  prepared  for  the  answer.  He  had  heard 
from  his  trusty  messenger  Rawhunt,  what  had  been  the. 
difficulty  in  bringing  them ;  and  when  Smith  told  him  that 
his  guns  had  proved  too  great  for  his  people's  shoulders, 
he  laughed  heartily,  but  concluded  with  demanding,  in 
place  of  them,  some  of  a  less  burthen.  The  twenty  fol 
lowers  of  Smith  were  then  brought  before  him.  They 
had  been  well  instructed  by  Smith  .to  maintain  a  vigilant 
watch,  even  while  making  their  obeisance.  They  re 
ceived  each  of  them  an  ample  supply  of  food,  and  Smith 
then  reminded  Powhatan  of  the  corn  and  land  which  he 
had  promised  him.  "  He  tolde  me  I  should  have  it,  but 
he  expected  .to  have  all  these  men  lay  their  arms  at  his 
feete,  as  did  his  subjects.  I  tolde  him  that  was  a  cere- 
monie  our  enemies  desired,  but  never  our  friends."  Smith 
proceeded  to  exhort  him  not  to  doubt  the  friendship  of  the 
English  ;  that  on  the  ensuing  day  Captain  Newport,  his 
father,  would  confirm  his  assurances  to  this  effect,  and 
would  bestow  upon  him  a  child  of  his  own,  in  proof  of 
his  sincerity ;  and  that  whenever  he,  Powhatan,  should  be 
prepared  for  the  enterprise,  he  should  put  under  his  sub 
jection  the  territories  of  his  worst  enemies,  the  Monacans 
and  Pocoughtronachs.  These  assurances  highly  delighted 
the  Emperor,  who  at  once,  in  a  loud  oration,  created  the 
speaker  a  Werowance  or  chief  of  Powhatan.  The  confer 
ence  was  much  rr\ore  prolonged,  but  entirely  to  the  same 
effect,  and,  with  the  warmest  assurances  of  friendship  on 
both  sides, the  parties  separated.  But  the  ebbing  of  the 
tide  preventing  Smith  from  regaining  the  pinnace  that 


170  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

night;  he  returned  to  the  hospitalities  of  Powhatan,  who 
\vas  again  delighted  to  receive  him,  and  their  conference 
was  resumed  "  with  many  pretty  discourses."  The  day 
was  fairly  spent  in  speeches  and  feasting,  interspersed  with 
sports,  with  dancing  and  singing,  nnd  such  like  mirth.  UA 
great  house,  sufficient  to  harbor  the  whole  of  his  men,"  was 
assigned  to  Smith,  and  a  quarter  of  venison  sent  him  "to 
stay  his  stomache."  His  supper,  which  was  taken  at  the 
table  of  Powhatan,  was  a  much  more  serious  business. 
"  He  set  before  mee  meate  for  twentie  men,  and  seeing  I 
coulde  not  eate,  hee  caused  it  to  be  given  to  my  men  ;  for 
this  is  a  general  custom,  when  they  give,  not  to  take 
again,  but  you  must  either  eate  it,  give  it  away,  or  carry  it 
with  you."  Two  or  three  hours  after  supper  were  u  spent 
in  our  ancient  discourses,  which  done,  I  was  with  a  fire 
sticke  (pine  torch)  lighted  to  my  lodgings."  Early  the 
next  day,  Powhatan  conducted  Smith  to  the  banks  of  the 
river,  and  made  a  display  to  him  of  his  numerous  canoes, — 
a  fleet  of  which  the  savage  king  thought  quite  as  proudly,  no 
doubt,  as  our  provincials  before  the  American  Revolution 
thought  of  that  of  George  the  Third.  The  various  uses 
to  which  they  were  put,  were  detailed  particularly  to  his 
hearers.  Some  of  them  were  especially  employed  in 
bringing  him  tribute  from  the  subject  tribes  along  the 
Chesapeake.  Some  countries  paid  him  in  beads,  others 
in  skins,  and  others  again  in  copper.  While  engaged  in 
this  survey,  they  descried  Captain  Newport  approaching 
from  the  pinnace ;  upon  which,  leaving  Smith  to  conduct 
his  coadjutor  to  his  royal  presence,  Powhatan  retired,  that 
he  might  place  himself  in  his  usual  state  array  for  a 
royal  reception. 

The  English  captain  was  no  doubt  exceedingly  anxious 
about  the  absence  of  Smith.  How  he  himself  had  slept 
was  exceedingly  doubtful.  In  all  probability,  a  confused 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  171 

murmur  of  Indian  song  and  festivity  had  been  ringing  in 
his  ears  and  through  his  dreams  all  night,  faint  echoes  of 
the  merriment  which  welcomed  his  comrade  in  the  tents 
of  Powhatan.  This,  it  is  possible  that  he  construed  into 
the  song  of  sacrifice  over  the  dismembered  carcass  of  his 
comrade.  That  he  found  him  alive  and  in  good  spirits 
when  he  came  ashore,  was  no  doubt  a  subject  of  equal 
satisfaction  to  both.  They  approached  the  royal  residence 
to  the  sound  of  trumpets,  and  with  as  much  state  as  they 
could  summon  for  the  occasion  Their  appearance  before 
the  king  was  hailed,  as  was  that  of  Smith  on  the  previous 
day,  with  shouts  and  acclamations.  Then  followed 
speeches  from  various  chiefs,  full  of  professions  of  good 
faith  and  fellowship.  Powhatan,  in  the  language  of  one 
of  our  authors,  "  strained  himself  to  the  utmost  of  his 
greatnesse  to  entertaine  his  distinguished  guests."  The 
proud  savage  was  not  to  be  outdone  in  bravery  by  the 
more  courtly  Europeans.  State  and  ceremonial  were, 
indeed,  much  more  natural  to  him  than  to  any  of  his 
visitors.  He  was  born  "  in  the  purple,"  and  it  appears 
from  all  testimonies  that  his  ordinary  carriage  would  have 
done  honor  to  that  of  any  of  the  oldest  houses  of  Europe. 
His  manner  of  reception  did  not  differ  in  any  respect  from 
that  of  the  preceding  day.  He  occupied  his  place  of  state, 
and  was  surrounded,  as  before,  by  his  chiefs  and  an  im 
posing  array  of  young  women.  His  reception  of  New 
port  was  frank  and  generous.  Food  and  refreshments, 
the  song  and  the  dance,  were  employed  to  grace  the 
favor  which  the  Emperor  vouchsafed  to  the  strangers  ; 
and  these  civilities  were  followed  by  pledges  of  amity 
which  it  would  be  difficult  to  persuade  modern  philan 
thropy  to  sanction.  A  white  boy  named  Thomas  Salvage, 
whom  Newport  did  not  hesitate  to  call  his  son,  was  pre 
sented  to  Powhatan  ;  the  Indian  king,  in  return,  bestowing 


172  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN       S  M  I  T  H  . 

upon  the  English  captain  a  native  lad  named  Namontack, 
"  tor  his  trustie  servant ;"  who  is  described  as  of  "shrewd 
and  suhtill  capacitie." 

In  this  interchange  of  courtesies  that  day  passed,  the 
English  retiirning  at  night  to  their  pinnace.  The  day 
following,  their  conferences  wrere  resumed.  Powhatan 
having  entertained  them  with  breakfast,  reproached  them 
for  bringing  their  arms  to  the  interview.  He  pointed 
them  to  his  followers,  all  of  whom  appeared  without  wea 
pons.  Was  he  not  their  friend  ?  What  did  they  doubt  ? 
What  fear  ?  Why  this  distrust  ?  Smith  answered,  that 
it  was  the  custom  of  their  country  ;  but  to  quiet  his  ap 
prehensions,  Newport  caused  his  soldiers  to  retire  to  the 
water  side  ;  and,  to  prevent  evil,  Smith  accompanied 
them.  But  this  did  not  satisfy  Powhatan.  He  was  not 
disposed  to  suffer  the  absence  of  Smith  from  his  immediate 
scrutiny.  To  please  him,  Mr.  Scrivener,  one  of  the  coun 
cil,  and  an  intelligent  gentleman,  who  had  arrived  with 
Newport  from  England,  was  sent  to  take  Smith's  place. 
But  such  an  arrangement  was  scarcely  more  satisfactory 
to  the  w  ily  savage  than  the  other  ;  and  the  attempt  to 
pacify  him  by  such  proceedings  was  suspended  in  order  to 
try  the  effect  of  a  vigorous  traffic,  and  by  these  means  the 
suspicions  of  Powhatan,  if  he  really  entertained  them, 
were  baffled  and  diverted.  Three  or  four  days  were  con 
sumed,  and  not  unpleasantly,  in  this  sort  of  intercourse. 
Songs  and  speeches,  feasting  and  dancing,  with  now  and 
then  a  little  traffic,  admirably  relieved  the  monotony  of 
this  state  and  diplomatic  intercourse.  In  all  this  time, 
says  our  author,  u  Powhatan  carried  himselfe  so  proudly, 
yet  discreetly  (in  his  salvage  manner),  as  made  us  all 
admire  his  naturall  gifts,  considering  his  education."  He 
himself  scorned  to  trade  as  did  his  subjects. 

"  It  is  not  agreeable  to  my  greatness,"  he  said  to  New- 


LIFE      OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  173 

port,  "  to  traffic  for  trifles  in  this  peddling  manner.  You, 
too,  I  esteem  also  as  a  great  Werowance.*  Therefore, 
lay  me  downe  all  your  commodities  together.  What  I 
like  I  will  take,  and  in  recompense  give  you  what  I  thinke 
their  fitting  value." 

Smith  was  the  interpreter  between  the  parties,  and  it 
speaks  wonderfully  for  his  great  facility  that  so  short  an 
acquaintance  with  the  Indians  had  enabled  him  to  be  so. 
He  at  once  detected  the  cunning  policy  of  Powhatan, 
admirably  disguised  in  this  majestic  carriage,  and  he 
warned  Newport  that  his  purpose  was  only  to  cheat  him 
of  his  goods.  But  Newport,  not  to  be  outbraved  in  this 
ostentation  of  magnificence,  and  thinking  that  he  should 
effectually  bewitch  the  Indian  Emperor  by  his  bounty, 
at  once  laid  his  stores  before  him  as  he  had  demanded. 
The  issue  was  just  what  had  been  predicted.  Powhatan 
took  what  he  pleased  ;  and,  in  bestowing  his  recompense 
in  turn,  valued  his  maize  at  such  a  price  as  to  extort  from 
our  Captain  the  opinion  that  the  article  was  to  be  had  on 
better  terms,  "  even  in  Spaine."  Instead  of  twenty  hogs 
heads,  which  the  same  were  expected  to  produce,  the 
stately  monarch  assigned  to  the  astounded  Newport  some 
thing  less  than  four  bushels.  Newport  could  not  conceal 
his  chagrin.  He  had  been  effectually  outwitted.  His 
stores  were  exhausted,  his  supplies  were  yet  to  be  pro 
cured,  and  the  savage  chieftain  was  as  insatiate  in  his 
appetite  as  ever.  The  English  captain  lost  his  temper, 
and  some  unkindness  followed  between  Smith  and  him 
self,  in  consequence,  in  all  probability,  of  the  reproaches 
of  the  latter.  But  our  adventurer,  who  better  knew  the 
nature  of  the  savage  than  Newport,  had  his  revenge  upon 
Powhatan.  He  contrived,  without  seeming  to  design  it, 


*  Prince,  or  Chie£ 
12 


174  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

to  suffer  various  trifles,  which  were  novelties,  to  glitter  ID 
the  eyes  of  the  voracious  savage.  Among  these  were 
certain  blue  beads,  such  as  had  never  before  been  seen  at 
Werowocomoco.  These  caught  the  fancy  of  our  forest 
monarch.  But  Smith  shook  his  head  in  denial.  These 
were  very  precious  jewels,  "  composed  of  a  most  rare 
substance,  of  the  color  of  the  skyes,  and  not  to  be  worn 
but  by  the  greatest  kings  of  the  world."  The  pride  of 
Powhatan  was  piqued  ;  his  passions  excited  ;  and  in  due 
degree  with  the  reluctance  of  Smith  to  sell,  was  the  in 
crease  of  his  importunacy  to  buy.  The  wary  Captain 
played  with  his  game  at  his  leisure,  until  it  "  made  him 
halfe  madde  to  be  the  owner  of  such  strange  Jewells  ;" 
and  he  succeeded  finally  in  procuring  a  pound  or  two  of 
them,  but  only  at  the  expense  of  two  or  three  hundred 
bushels  of  corn.  Blue  beads  rose  prodigiously  in  value. 
Opechancanough,  one  of  the  brothers  of  Powhatan,  became 
the  purchaser  of  a  small  supply  at  the  same  royal  prices  ; 
and  such  at  length  became  the  estimation  in  which  they 
were  held,  "  that  none  durst  weare  any  of  them  but  theii 
greate  kings,  their  wives  and  children." 


CHAPTER    II. 

POWHATAN  did  not  suffer  the  cupidity  of  the  trader  to 
abridge  the  hospitalities  of  the  prince.  Though  Smith 
had  driven  a  hard  bargain  with' him  in  the  matter  of  the 
blue  beads,  he  was  yet  particularly  indulgent  to  that  per 
sonage,  who  sometimes  lingered  in  his  tents  after  night 
fall,  and  long  after  the  more  nervous  Newport  had  gone 
aboard  his  pinnace.  YVru'n  it  so  happened  that  the  ebb 
of  the  tide  required  the  English  to  regain  their  pinnace 
before  the  usual  dinner  hour,  the  savage  monarch  sent 
their  feast  of  bread  and  venison  after  them,  in  quantities 
equal  to  the  wants  of  thrice  their  number.  To  the  last  he 
betrayed  an  impatience  of  their  weapons.  Whether  it 
was  that  he  really  distrusted  them,  or  whether,  as  is  more 
probable,  he  designed  to  make  himself  master  of  their  com 
modities  without  being  compelled  to  supply  his  own,  and 
could  only  hope  to  do  so  in  the  absence  of  the  murderous 
instruments  of  war  that  the  English  carried,  is  matter  for 
conjecture.  Smith  invariably  contrived,  without  directly 
showing  his  apprehensions,  to  thwart  his  wishes  in  this 
particular.  On  one  occasion,  that  of  the  last  day  of  the 
visit,  Powhatan  sent  his  son  on  board  the  pinnace  at  an 
early  hour,  to  entreat  that  they  would  not  bring  their 
pieces  with  them,  lest  his  women  should  be  frightened 
But  Smith,  even  against  Newport's  opinion,  contrived  to 
carry  with  him  twenty-five  shot.  Powhatan  took  a  spe 
cial  dislike  to  Smith's  sword  and  pistol,  and  importuned 
him,  in  particular,  to  leave  them  in  the  pinnace.  "  But 
these,"  said  our  hero,  significantly,  "  were  the  very  terms 
of  persuasion  employed  by  those  who  afterwards  betrayed 


1 76  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

us?  and  slew  my  brother."  The  women  do  not  seem  te 
have  been  frightened  ;  and  the  day  passed  as  before.  The 
trade  in  blue  beads  was  as  lively  as  ever  :  large  quantities 
— speaking  with  due  regard  to  the  extreme  value,  and 
great  rareness  of  the  article — changed  hands,  and  the 
barge  of  the  English  was  nearly  freighted  with  provisions. 
The  weather  became  unfavorable  ;  and  it  was  midnight, 
and  after  great  exposure  to  wind  and  rain,  besides  being 
nearly  swamped  in  the  oozy  embraces  of  a  marsh,  before 
Smith,  and  the  parties  under  his  immediate  command, 
could  regain  the  vessel.  The  next  morning  was  given  to 
their  parting  interview.  At  their  meeting,  Powhatan, 
u  with  a  solemne  discourse,"  dismissed  all  his  women  and 
the  ordinary  attendants,  suffering  none  to  remain  but  his 
principal  chiefs.  He  then  referred  to  what  Smith  had 
hinted  of  thfir  purpose  to  invade  the  Monacans,  his  ene 
mies,  lie  informed  them  that  he  was  not  openly  the 
enemy  of  this  people  ;  that  there  was  peace  between 
them  ;  but  that  he  was  not  unwilling  to  do  a  little  towards 
giving  them  trouble  and  discomfort.  He  would  first  send 
out  his  spies  to  see  in  what  condition  the  Monacans  stood  ; 
what  was  their  strength  and  ability  ;  and  how  far  prepared 
against  invasion. 

Politicians  seem  to  be  pretty  much  the  same  persons  in 
all  countries.  Metternich  and  Talleyrand,  Peel  or  Guizot, 
could  not  have  declared  themselves  in  more  diplomatic 
language. 

"  You  and  I,"  he  said  to  Captain  Newport,  "  cannot  be 
seen  in  the  business.  We  are  great  chiefs,  and  must  stay 
at  home.  But  Smith  and  Scrivener  on  your  bide,  and 
Opechancanough  and  my  two  sons  on  mine,  can  manage 
all  this  business." — This,  if  not  the  language  of  the  old 
despot,  was  pretty  much  what  he  meant  to  say.  We 
have  quoted  in  our  own  terms  the  very  substance  of  his 


LIFE     OF      CAP  'IAIN      SMITH.  177 

speech.  He  added,  that  the  King  of  Pamaunkeeshould 
have  from  him  one  hundred  of  his  warriors  to  commence 
the  campaign.  They  should  set  forth  as  upon  a  hunting 
expedition,  advising  the  English  at  what  proper  time  to 
strike  the  blow.  One  hundred,  or  one  hundred  and  fifty 
of  the  white  soldiers,  he  judged  would  be  sufficient  for  the 
exploit.  For  his  own  part,  his  desires  for  the  spoils  were 
moderate.  He  was  content  to  have  the  women  and  the 
young  children  who  were  made  captives.  The  men  were 
to  be  slain. 

His  fair  assurances,  and  the  vague  particulars  which  he 
gave  of  great  seas  in  the  rear  of  his  immense  territories, 
with  other  details  which  Newport  linked  with  a  partial 
knowledge  already  in  his  own  mind,  persuaded  that  excel 
lent  person  to  believe,  that,  by  this  famous  scheme  for 
the  overthrow  of  the  Monacans,  he  was  destined  to  pene 
trate,  by  a  short  cut,  to  the  waters  of  the  South  Sea  ;  an 
object,  at  that  time,  the  great  maritime  passion  of  Europe. 

From  Werowocomoco  the  English  proceeded  to  the 
domains  of  Opechancanough,  where  they  were  welcomed 
with  a  courtesy  like  that  which  had  hitherto  attended  their 
progress.  To  this  place  Powhatan  sent  to  solicit  their 
return.  He  had  received  tidings  that  new  supplies  had 
reached  them  from  Jamestown,  and  he  was  anxious  to 
make  a  second  princely  bargain  with  his  brother  Wero- 
wance,  Newport.  But  Opechancanough  was  not  willing 
to  give  them  jap.  As  one  likely  to  have  more  influence 
than  any  other  messenger,  Powhatan  sent  a  second 
entreaty  by  his  daughter  Pocahontas.  Of  her  nothing  has 
been  seen  or  said  in  either  of  our  narratives,  during  the 
late  stay  of  the  English  at  Werowocomoco.  Doubtless 
she  was  with  the  women  in  immediate  attendance  upon 
the  king  ;  but  her  extreme  youth  might  have  kept  her  out 
of  sight.  For  the  same  reason  she  may  have  been  chosen 


178  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

as  his  messenger.  Had  she  been  older,  her  father  would 
scarcely  have  perilled  her  charms,  remote  from  his  own 
protection,  in  the  rude  contact  with  a  strange  people.  As 
it  was,  she  probably  came  well  attended.  Her  presence 
had  the  desired  effect ;  and  after  staying  two  days  with 
Opechancanough  they  returned  to  Werowocomoco,  ex 
changed  .new  courtesies  with  Powhatan — probably  made 
new  bargains,  but  of  these  we  have  no  mention — and 
receiving  from  him  a  present  of  another  Indian,  took  their 
departure,  after  exchanging  many  protestations  of  friend 
ship  and  fidelity.  The  Indian  thus  given  by  Powhatan 
was  intended  to  be  sent  to  England.  His  private  instruc 
tions  from  Powhatan  were  to  report  the  strength  in  people 
of  that  country,  and  the  wealth  and  magnitude  thereof. 
In  attempting  this,  at  a  subsequent  period,  the  poor  Indian 
procured  himself  a  stick  the  moment  he  arrived  in  Lon 
don,  and  a  notch  in  the  stick  was  made  at  every  new  face 
he  met.  But  he  soon  gave  up  the  task  in  despair  ;  assur 
ing  Powhatan  on  his  return  to  Virginia,  that  the  English 
were  as  numerous  as  the  leaves  on  the  tree,  and  the  sands 
on  the  sea  shore. 

Some  little  time  was  spent  on  their  return,  in  diving 
into  the  bowels  of  a  rock,  the  appearances  about  which 
led  them  to  conjecture  that  it  contained  a  mineral  trea 
sure.  Though  Smith  dug  in  compliance  with  Newport's 
wishes,  he  yet  discouraged  the  labor  as  perverse  and  fruit 
less.  It  seems  to  have  been  worse  than  useless.  "  Our 
guilded  refiners,"  says  one  of  our  narratives,  u  with  their 
golden  promises  made  all  men  their  slaves,  in  hope  of  re 
compenses  ;  there  was  no  talke,  no  hope,  no  worke,  but 
dig  gold,  wash  gold,  refine  gold,  loade  gold  ;  such  a  bruit 
of  gold  that  one  mad  fellow  desired  to  be  buried  in  the 
sands,  least  they  should,  by  their  art,  make  gold  of  his 
bones."  "  Were  it  that  Captain  Smith  would  not  ap- 


L  i  F  K     OF     1?  A  I    t    A  I  N      ai  M  I  T  H  .  17& 

plaud  all  these  golden  inventions,  because  they  admit 
ted  him  not  to  the  sight  of  their  trials,  nor  golden  consul 
tations,  I  know  not,  but  I  have  heard  him  oft  question 
with  Captaine  Martin,  and  tell  him  except  he  could  show 
him  a  more  substantiall  triall,  he  was  not  inamoured  willf 
their  durty  skill,  breathing  out  these  and  many  other  pas 
sions,  never  anything  did  more  torment  him  than  to  see 
all  necessary  busines  neglected,  to  fraught  such  a  drunken 
ship  with  so  much  guilded  durt." 

To  a  man  of  experience  and  good  sense,  certainly,  no 
thing  could  have  been  more  annoying  than  to  witness  the 
fruitless  labors  of  these  grown  children,  prosecuted  with  so 
much  confidence  and  zeal,  at  the  expense  not  only  of  their 
own,  but  of  the  vital  interest  of  the  colony.  But  he  was 
compelled  to  groan  in  secret  at  this  folly.  Captain  New 
port  himself  was  caught  and  deluded  by  this  insane  passion, 
though,  says  our  author,  with  a  sly  sarcasm,  "  we  nevei 
accounted  Captain  Newport  a  refiner."  But  this  was  not 
the  whole  of  the  evil  which  just  then  afflicted  the  colony, 
and  the  resolute  heart  which  we  have  learned  to  regard  as 
its  real  founder  *and  support.  His  trading  voyage  for  corn 
to  Werowocomoco  was,  soon  after  his  return,  shorn  of  all 
its  fruits  by  improvidence  and  accident.  The  grain  thus 
procured  was  stored  away  with  the  rest  in  the  common 
granaries.  The  winter  (1607)  was  one  of  extreme  seve 
rity.  The  ample  forests  around  our  colonists  made  them 
profligate  in  the  use  of  fire.  The  consequence  was,  that 
the  town,  the  houses  of  which  were  wholly  of  wood,  and 
thatched  with  reeds  and  brush,  was  set  on  fire,  and  the 
flames  raged  with  such  rapidity  as  to  destroy  their  dwel 
lings.  Their  granary,  with  all  their  provisions,  was  consum 
ed  ;  the  fire  even  seized  upon,  and  destroyed  their  palisa- 
does.  Among  the  sufferers,  u  Good  Master  Hunt,  our 
Preacher,  lost  all  his  library,  and  all  he  had  but  the  cloathe« 


180  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

on  his  backe  ;  yet  none  never  heard  him  repine  at  his 
losse."  This  worthy  clergyman,  of  whom  such  good  re 
port  is  made,  was  the  same,  who,  it  will  be  remembered, 
exerted  himself  so  worthily  to  compose  and  subdue  the 
discontent  which  prevailed  among  the  colonists  on  ship 
board  during  the  first  voyage  out.  The  testimony  is  uni 
formly  in  his  favor,  as  a  wise  and  pious  Christian.  The 
loss  of  his  books,  in  such  a  region,  was  one  of  those  trials 
of  the  soul  which  Providence  employs  for  its  better 
strength  and  purification.  That  none  should  ever  hear 
him  repine  is  sufficient  proof  that  the  ends  of  punishment 
had  been  obtained. 

Smith  was  a  less  patient  man.  His  vocation  was  that 
of  the  reformer  rather  than  the  preacher.  He  could  better 
scourge  than  entreat  or  expostulate,  and  his  temper  was 
in  no  respect  improved  while  Newport  and  his  mariners 
remained  in  the  colony.  The  wretched  passion  after  gold 
dust  detained  the  ship  fourteen  weeks,  when  she  should 
have  been  despatched  in  fourteen  days.  The  consequence 
was,  that  the  seamen  consumed  the  provisions  which  were 
provided  for  the  colony,  and  required  to  be  supplied  be 
sides  for  the  return  voyage.  Other  evils  had  followed 
from  its  presence.  "  Those  persons,"  says  Stith, u  who  had 
either  money,  spare  clothes,  credit  for  bills  of  exchange, 
gold  rings,  furs,  or  any  such  valuable  commodities,  were 
always  welcome  to  this  floating  tavern.  Such  was  their 
necessity  and  misfortune,  to  be  under  the  lash  of  those  vile 
commanders,  and  to  buy  their  own  provisions  at  fifteen 
times  their  value  ;  suffering  them  to  feast  at  their  charge, 
whilst  themselves  were  obliged  to  fast,  and  yet  dare  not 
repine  lest  they  should  incur  the  censure  of  being  factious 
and  seditious  persons.  By  these  means  and  management 
the  colony  was  rather  burdened  than  relieved,  by  the  vast 
charges  of  the  ship  ;  and  being  reduced  to  meal  and  water, 


LIFE   OF   CAPTAIN   SMITH.         181 

and  exposed,  by  the  loss  of  their  town,  to  the  most  bitter 
cold  and  frost,  above  half  of  them  died.  Smith  indeed,  and 
Scrivener,  endeavored  to  correct  all  abuses,  and  to  put 
things  into  a  better  posture  ;  but  they  could  do  nothing  to 
effect,  being  overpowered  by  the  President  and  his  party, 
who  had  lono-  before  this  laid  their  difference  to  Smith's 

O 

judgment  and  management."  It  was  some  consolation  to 
our  adventurer  that  he  could  send  off  with  the  vessel  for 
England,  those  lawyers  whom  he  had  "  laid  by  the  heels  " 
for  seeking  to  circumvent  and  make  him  liable  under  the 
provisions  of  the  Levitical  law.  "  We  not  having  any 
use  of  Parliaments,  Plaises  (pleadings  perhaps),  Petitions, 
admiralty  Recorders,  Interpreters,  Ckronologert,  Courts  of 
Pleas,  nor  Justices  of  the  Peace,  sent  Martin  Winyfield 
and  Captain  Archer  home  with  him,  that  had  ingrossed  all 
these  titles,  to  seeke  some  better  place  of  imployment." 


CHAPTER    III 

NEWPORT  at  length  took  his  departure,  to  the  relief  of 
some  and  disquiet  of  other  parties.  Smith,  in  his  shallop, 
accompanied  him  to  the  mouth  of  the  Chesapeake.  A 
parting  gift  for  the  voyager  came  from  Powhatan,  in  the 
shape  of  twenty  fat  turkeys,  for  which,  however,  he  claimed 
as  many  swords,  by  way  of  remembrance  and  considera 
tion.  This  demand  Newport  imprudently  complied  with. 
Powhatan  soon  discovered  the  superior  value  of  the  Eng 
lish  weapon  to  his  own,  and  this  knowledge  was  the 
source  of  much  evil  to  the  colonists  at  a  later  period. 
Newport  fairly  at  sea,  Smith  returned  to  Jamestown, 
stopping  for  a  brief  period  on  his  way  at  the  territories  of 
the  king  ofNansemond,  who  had  been  hitherto  hostile, 
and  making  a  treaty  with  him.  The  prospect  at  James 
town  was  little  encouraging.  The  hamlet  was  in  great 
part  in  ruins,  and  the  coercive  mind  of  Smith  was  not  in 
the  ascendant.  The  president,  Radcliffe  and  Captain 
Martin,  supported  by  a  strong  and  wily  faction,  carried 
things  after  their  own  fashion.  The  public  stores  were 
withheld  from  public  use,  and  made  the  subject  of  private 
barter  for  the  benefit  of  these  parties.  They  used  the 
common  stock  as  if  it  were  so  much  personal  revenue. 
Doubtless,  if  there  had  been  any  prospect  of  success  in  op 
position,  Smith  was  the  man  to  have  tried  his  strength 
against  these  profligates.  We  have  seen  sufficient  proof 
uf  his  resolute  will  and  fierce  determination  to  effect  the 
right,  whenever  the  probabilities  were  at  all  favorable  to 
his  endeavors.  But  he  had  also  the  admirable  judgment 
which  declares  the  proper  time  to  strike ;  and  yielding  the 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  183 

struggle  for  the  present,  he  contented  himself,  supported 
by  Mr.  Scrivener  and  others,  in  amending  the  evils  of  the 
existing  government  so  far  as  lay  in  his  power.  With  the 
approach  of  spring,  he  took  charge  of  the  corn-fields,  pre 
pared  them,  and  set  a  crop.  This  done  he  applied  him 
self  to  the  rebuilding  of  thetown,restoring  first  the  church, 
the  storehouses  and  the  fortifications.  While  thus  en 
gaged,  the  colony  was  excited  anew  by  the  arrival  of  the 
Phoenix,  a  barque  commanded  by  Captain  Nelson,  which 
had  been  separated  from  Newport  in  a  storm,  driven  to 
the  West  Indies,  and  given  up  for  lost.  This  vessel 
brought  supplies  of  provisions  for  six  months,  and,  an  ac 
quisition  equally  important,  an  addition  to  the  force  of  the 
colony  of  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  twenty  persons. 
It  is  to  be  remembered,  however,  that  the  disproportion  of 
gentlemen  to  workingmen,  which  had  always  been  a  source 
of  discomfort  to  Smith,  was  again  unprofitably  large 
"  This  happy  arrival  of  Maister  Nelson  in  the  Phoenix, 
having  been  then  about  three  months  missing,  did  so  lav 
ish  us  with  exceeding  joy,  that  now  we  thought  ourselves 
as  our  harts  could  wish,  both  with  a  competent  number 
of  men,  as  also  for  all  other  needful  provisions,"  and  it  en 
couraged  Smith  to  plan  a  journey  of  exploration  into  the 
surrounding  country.  The  Monacans,  into  whose  weak 
ness  Powhatan  was  willing  to  spy,  previous  to  any  attempt 
upon  their  territories,  were  objects  of  great  curiosity  to 
our  English,  and  seventy  men  being  selected  for  the  pur 
pose,  Smith  proceeded  to  train  them  for  the  adventure ; 
in  six  or  seven  days' practice,  teaching  them  "  to  march, 
fight  and  scirmish  in  the  woods,  their  willing  mindes  to 
this  action  so  quickened  their  understanding  in  this  exer 
cise,  as  in  all  judgments  wee  were  able  to  fight  writh 
Powhatan's  whole  force."  Here  our  hero  was  at  home. 
His  mind  resumed  its  ancient  vivacity  in  this  military  em- 


1 84         LIFE   OF   CAPTAIN  SMITH. 

ploy.  Already  had  he  prepared  his  plans  of  progress — 
assigned  the  proper  defences  to  the  fort,  arranged  for  his 
supplies  of  food  on  the  inarch,  and  put  all  things  in  order 
to  his  purpose,  when  circumstances,  perverse  men,  and 
perverse  fortune, combined  to  defeat  the  scheme.  Fears 
and  scruples  beset  the  president  and  others  in  council. 
Such  a  progress  would  be  an  indiscretion,  would  be  an  en 
croachment  upon  the  rights  of  Newport  to  whom  only  the 
right  to  prosecute  such  discoveries  belonged.  These  scru 
ples  and  objections  discouraged  Nelson,  who  was  to  have 
assisted  in  the  expedition  with  certain  volunteer  marines, 
and  he  withdrew  from  the  adventure.  The  enterprise 
miscarried  in  spite  of  all  the  hopes  and  energies  of  our 
Captain  ;  and  instead  of  going  upon  the  conquest  of  Mona- 
can,  he  was  compelled  to  remain  at  the  fort,  contending 
with  the  follies  of  the  council  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
Indians  of  Powhatan  on  the  other.  Smith  was  for  filling 
the  Phcenix  with  cedar  on  her  return  voyage,  \\  hile 
Captain  Martin  "  was  opposite  to  anything,  but  onely  to 
fraught  this  ship  with  his  phantasticall  gold  ;"  and  though 
the  more  sensible  suggestion  prevailed,  yet  it  called  for  all 
the  resolution  and  diligence  of  Smith,  seconded  by  Nelson, 
Scrivener,  and  others,  to  carry  their  object,  and  to  make 
the  lading  of  a  commodity,  which  we  are  told  "  was  a 
present  despatch" — of  ready  sale — "  than  either  with 
durt,  or  the  hopes  and  reports  of  an  uncertaine  discovery 
(the  gold  mine),  which  he  woulde  performe  when  they 
hadde  less  charge  and  more  leisure." 

While  our  Captain  was  thus  busy  in  freighting  the 
Phojnix,  and  rebuilding  the  settlement,  a  surprising  change 
took  place  in  the  behavior  of  the  Indians.  This  capri 
cious  people,  late  so  friendly,  began  to  show  themselves 
troublesome  at  first,  and  finally  hostile.  The  first  signs  of 
this  change  took  place  in  consequence  of  a  disappoint- 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  185 

ment  of  Powhatan.  Finding  it  so  easy  to  procure  English 
swords  from  Newport  in  exchange  for  the  fat  turkeys  of 
Werowocomoco,  he  tried  Smith  in  the  same  manner  ; 
sending  him  twenty  of  these  fowls,  and  demanding  certain 
•weapons  for  them  in  exchange.  But  Smith  was  not  the 
man  to  respect  the  error  of  Newport.  He  paid  for  the 
turkeys  in  any  coin  but  that  which  the  savage  chief  de 
sired.  Powhatan  had  set  his  heart  upon  these  weapons 
and  his  people,  whether  positively  instructed,  or  simply 
anxious  to  serve  their  master  in  a  manner  that  would 
please  him,  undertook  by  twenty  characteristic  devices  to 
obtain  them.  First  they  resorted  to  simple  thieving,  a 
method  which  seems  to  have  been  practised  more  or  less 
by  every  primitive  people  from  the  beginning  of  time. 
They  were  frequent  visitors  at  Jamestown,  and  bore  away 
with  them  whatever  they  could  secrete.  Impunity  made 
them  bolder.  The  tools  of  the  workmen  disappeared,  and 
the  same  thief  who  had  been  caught  one  day  in  the  act, 
was  neither  afraid  nor  ashamed  to  make  the  same  attempt 
the  next.  What  they  steal,  says  Smith,  "  their  king 
receiveth."  This  high  sanction  increased  their  audacity. 
Too  closely  watched  for  their  wonted  sleight  of  hand,  they 
grew  bold  to  take  by  violence  what  they  could  not  obtain 
by  skill.  "  By  ambuscadoes  at  our  very  ports,  they  would 
take  them  perforce,  surprise  us  at  worke,  or  any  way ; 
which  was  so  long  permitted,  they  became  so  insolent  there 
was  no  rule  ;  the  command  from  England  was  so  strait 
not  to  offend  them,  as  our  authoritie-bearers  (keeping 
their  houses*)  would  rather  be  anyming  than  peace- 
breakers  This  charitable  humor  prevailed,  till  well  it 
chanced  they  meddled  with  Captaine  Smith,  who,  without 
farther  deliberation,  gave  them  such  an  encounter"  as  soon 


*  In  saii'tv  theiuselvg* 


186  L  I  *  E      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

brought  a  remedy  for  the  mischief.  Two  swords  ha^'  //g 
been  stolen,  he  caught  the  offender  and  clapt  him  in  the 
bilboes  When  let  out  he  disappeared  for  a  time,  but  soon 
returned  with  three  others  armed  with  wooden  swords. 
Smith  ordered  them  to  depart,  but,  flourishing  their  swords 
in  his  face,  they  bade  him  defiance.  Without  waiting  for 
them  to  strike,  our  ready  soldier  answered  their  flourish 
with  a  blow.  This  the  others  offered  to  revenge,  but 
Smith  fell  upon  them,  and,  smiting  hip  and  thigh,  drove 
them  from  the  premises,  Then  getting  together  half  a 
dozen  soldiers,  without  asking  or  waiting  for  orders,  he 
sallied  forth,  and  drove  their  lurking  parties  entirely  from 
the  island. 

This  decision  produced  for  the  time  an  excellent  effect. 
The  Indians  became  modest  and  conciliatory.  The  King 
of  Nansemond,  who  lived  thirty  miles  from  the  settlement, 
sent  back  a  hatchet  that  had  been  stolen  ;  and  such  Indians 
as  had  been  employed  upon  the  wears  (fish  traps)  of  the 
.English,  but  had  temporarily  abandoned  them  for  the 
more  honorable  business  of  stealing,  voluntarily  came 
back,  made  their  submission,  and  resumed  their  labors. 
But  the  caprice  of  the  savages  would  not  allow  them  to 
remain  pacific  long.  They  soon  put  themselves  in  suspi 
cious  attitudes,  and  renewed  their  peculations.  One  of  them 
having  stolen  a  hatchet,  and  being  pursued  by  Scrivener, 
drew  his  arrow  to  the  head  upon  him  ;  and  two  of  them, 
well  armed  and  painted  for  war,  made  an  attempt  upon 
Smith,  "  circling  about  mee,  as  though  they  would  have 
clubbed  me  like  a  hare  ;"  but  lacking  boldness,  they  suf 
fered  him  to  reach  the  fort  in  safety.  Followed  by  these 
and  several  others  within  the  enclosure,  and  proceeding 
to  offer  violence,  Smith  had  the  ports  closed,  and  took 
them  into  custody.  Sixteen  or  eighteen  were  seized  in 
this  manner.  This  brought  therri  to  a  parley.  Ambassa- 


LIFE    OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  187 

dors  came  to  treat  for  the  delivery  of  the  prisoners.  The 
answer  was,  that  they  should  only  obtain  their  freedom 
upon  the  restoration  of  all  the  swords,  spades,  shovels, 
and  other  tools  which  they  had  stolen.  Failing  in  this, 
the  ambassadors  were  told  that  the  captives  should  ^e 
hung.  This,  of  course,  was  a  threat  only.  Meanwhile, 
two  of  the  Englishmen  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  natives,* 
who  at  once  returned  in  numbers  to  the  gates  of  James 
town,  and  boldly  threatened  retaliation  upon  their  prison 
ers  if  any  of  their  people  suffered  harm.  This  threat  was 
answered  by  a  sally  from  Smith,  who,  "  in  lesse  than  an 
houre,  so  hampred  their  insolencies,  they  brought  then 
his  two  men,  desiring  peace  without  any  further  compo 
sition  for  their  prisoners." 

But  peace  was  not  so  easily  granted.  The  prisoners 
were  subjected  to  a  searching  examination,  and, under  the 
terror  of  death, they  revealed  the  scheme  of  a  conspiracy 
against  the  colony,  which  involved  Powhatan  and  all  his 
tributary  kings.  This  conspiracy  had  been  maturing  for 
some  time,  and  had  its  birth  before  Smith  himself  had 
been  taken  prisoner.  His  arrest  had  been  in  consequence 
of  this  combination.  Their  plan  had  subsequently  aimed 
to  surprise  them  while  at  work.  "  Powhatan,  and  all  his, 
would  seeme  friends  till  Captaine  Newport's  returne," 
that  he  might  recover  his  man  Namontack  in  safety. 
Then  he  was  to  invite  Newport  to  a  great  feast,  and  take 
advantage  of  the  occasion  to  make  him  prisoner.  Like 
devices  were  to  involve  other  parties  of  the  whites  in  a 
like  predicament. 

Such  was  the  amount  of  the  confession  made  by  Maca- 
nor,  the  counsellor  of  Paspahegh  ;  a  confession  which  was 


*  "  Ranging  in  the  woods — whic'i  mischief'e  no  punishment  wil] 
t  but  hanging."— 


188  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

confirmed  only  in  part  by  the  statements,  similarly  extort 
ed,*  of  other  Indians.  By  these  it  was  learned  "  that 
Paspahegh  and  Chickahammania  did  hate  us,  and  intended 
some  mischief,  and  who  they  were  that  tooke  me,  the 
names  of  them  that  stole  our  tooles  and  swords,  and  that 
Powhatan  received  them  they  all  agreed  " 

The  tidings  of  the  seizure  of  his  subjects,  their  deten 
tion,  their  confession,  and  the  constant  exercise  by  Smith 
of  his  armed  men,  reached  Powhatan,  and  rendered  it 
necessary  that  he  should  be  at  some  pains  to  disabuse  the 
English  of  the  unfriendly  impressions  which  they  had 
received  of  his  own  hostility.  His  safety,  not  his  charac 
ter,  was  the  source  of  his  solicitude.  Accordingly,  he 
despatched  the  boy  Thomas  Salvage,  who  had  been  given 
him  by  Newport,  with  a  present  of  turkeys,  especially 
to  Smith  and  Scrivener,  who,  the  sagacious  old  savage 
had  already  discovered,  were  the  two  master  spirits  of  the 
settlement.  The  boy  thus  opportunely  placed  in  his 
hands,  at  a  moment  when  there  was  good  ground  for  sus 
pecting  the  intentions  of  the  Emperor,  Smith  resolved  to 
keep,  and  this  increased  the  anxieties  of  the  former.  His 
next  messenger  betrayed  the  extent  of  his  fears  and  his 
cunning.  This  was  the  young  damsel  Pocahontas.  "  Yet 
he  sent  his  messengers,  and  his  dearest  daughter,  Poca- 
hontaSj  with  presents  to  excuse  him  of  the  injuries  done  by 
some  rash  untoward  captaines,  his  subjects,  desiring  their 
liberties  for  this  time,  with  the  assurance  of  his  love  for 
ever. "|  Smith's  own  narrative J  is  more  explicit,  and 

*  "  I  bound  one  in  hold  to  the  maine-mast,  and  presenting  six  mus 
kets  with  match  in  the  cockes,  forced  him,"  &c.  *  *  *  Alter  each 
examination,  "  certaine  vollies  of  shot  wee  caused  to  he  discharged, 
which  caused  each  other  to  thinke  that  their  fcllowes  had  been  slainx*." 

Smith. 

t  "  The  true  Travels,"  &c.    Richmond  ed.    Vol.  i.,  p.  171. 

»  "  A  true  Relation,"  dec.    Richmond  ed.    Page  81. 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH  189 

more  ambitious,  though  to  the  same  effect.  "  Powhatan 
understanding  we  detained  certain  salvages,  sent  his 
daughter,  a  child  of  ttnne  years  old,  which  not  only  for 
feature,  countenance  and  proportion,  much  exceedeth  any 
of  the  rest  of  his  people,  but  for  wit  and  spirit  the  only 
nonpareil  of  his  country :  this  he  sent  by  his  most  trustie 
messenger,  called  Rawhunt,  as  much  exceeding  in  defor- 
mitie  of  person,  but  of  a  subtill  wit  and  crafty  understand 
ing."  Through  these,  the  Emperor  assured  Smith  that 
he  greatly  loved  and  respected  him — that  he  must  not 
doubt  his  affection — in  proof  of  which  he  had  sent  his 
child,  whom  he  most  esteemed,  to  see  him.  Such  was  the 
message  borne  by  Pocahontas.  She  brought  from  her 
father,  as  a  present,  a  supply  of  bread  and  a  deer.  She 
entreated  that  the  captives  might  be  spared  and  set  free. 
She  also  entreated  that  the  boy  might  be  sent  back  to  her 
father,  as  he  loved  him  exceedingly. 

Pocahontas  might  well  urge  such  a  prayer  to  the  man 
whom  her  own  entreaties  had  saved  from  death.  It  was 
with  a  happy  policy  that  Powhatan  made  her  his  ambassa 
dor.  If  anything  could  touch  the  soul  of  Smith,  at  any 
moment,  it  must  have  been  the  presence  of  such  a  pleader : 
and  how  much  must  there  have  been  of  the  pleasing  and 
the  tender  in  the  interview  between  that  young  Indian 
child  and  the  stern  warrior,  whose  heart,  in  frequent  trials 
of  the  world's  strife,  had  perhaps  grown  somewhat  callous 
against  most  human  weaknesses !  Yet  he  betrays  none  of 
.this  callosity  while  he  treats  with  Pocahontas.  Her  gen 
tle  virtues,  her  eager,  earnest  interest  in  his  behalf,  her 
extreme  youth  and  wonderful  beauty,  which  made  her  the 
nonpareil  of  her  race  and  country — these  seem  to  have 
always  had  their  influence  over  his  soul,  when  she  is  the 
subject  of  consideration.  He  speaks  of  her  as  the  dearest 
daughter,  the  little  daughter  of  Powhatan  ;  and  in  such 
13 


190  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

tender  diminutives  sufficiently  declares  the  feelings  of  a 
man  who  was  but  too  commonly  accustomed  to  conceal 
them.  That  he  holds  her  as  a  thing  almost  perfect,  we 
gather  from  his  passing  and  unaffected  utterances.  He 
does  not  speak  of  her  ostentatiously.  It  is  only  when  it 
helongs  to  the  absolute  business  of  the  narration  that  he 
employs  her  name,  and  then  only  in  such  manner  as  to 
make  us  regret  that  he  does  not  use  it  more  frequently. 
A  few  more  passages  of  this  description,  and  the  charnctei 
of  Smith,  which  must  be  allowed  to  have  suffered  some 
what  from  a  certain  harshness  and  hardness  of  outline, 
would  have  had  the  requisite  softening,  and  we  should 
then  have  been  at  some  loss  to  discover  its  deficiencies. 
But  Pocahontas  has  her  influence  upon  him,  and  it  is  one 
of  no  equivocal  character.  For  the  power  of  the  Indian 
sovereign,  her  father,  his  own  fierce  courage  did  not  allow 
him  to  entertain  much  respect ;  and,  seeing  through  his 
faithlessness,  he  already  half  despises  him.  Opechanca- 
nough  has  his  entreaties  also,  for  some  of  the  prisoners 
are  his  friends  and  subjects  ;  and  sending  his  presents, 
seeks  an  interview  himself  with  Smith,  to  disarm  his 
suspicions  and  hostility.  But  the  latter  smiles  grimly 
and  scornfully,  and  yields  nothing.  It  is  only  to  Poca 
hontas  that  he  accords  his  prisoners.  When  Opechanca- 
nough  and  his  attendants  had  gone,  the  prisoners  were 
conducted  to  the  church,  and  then,  after  prayer,  bestowed 
upon  Pocahontas.  It  is  to  her  only  that  they  are  given  ; 
their  bows,  arrows,  and  all  that  they  had  when  taken,  are 
surrendered  at  the  same  time  without  conditions,  "  to  the 
king's  daughter,  in  regard  of  her  father's  kindness  in  send 
ing  her."  She  herself  was  presented  with  certain  trifles, 
which,  we  are  told,  contented  her.  She  was 'probably 
contented  easily.  Her  actions  do  not  seem  to  have  need 
ed  any  less  noble  impulse  than  the  native  goodness,  gen 
tleness,  and  benignity  of  her  character. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

IN  these  decisive  proceedings  Smith  had  trespassed  fat 
beyond  the  limits  of  his  authority.  He  had  usurped  the 
powers  of  the  President  and  council  in  Virginia,  and  had 
disobeyed  the  mild  instructions  which  had  been  sent  out 
by  the  proprietors  in  England.  His  mind  was  not  of  a 
sort  to  submit  easily  to  commands  which  were  obviously 
founded  in  ignorance  of  the  facts,  and  to  restraints  which 
did  not  regard  their  necessity  ;  and  just  as  little  was  he 
disposed  to  yield  implicit  obedience  to  a  present  authority 
which  had  always  shown  itself  so  impotent,  at  least,  for 
good.  His  proceedings,  though  resulting  in  advantage  to 
the  colony,  and  though  not  a  life  of  the  Indians  was  taken, 
were  met  with  rebuke  and  dissatisfaction  among  his 
brethren.  "  The  patient  councell,  that  nothing  would 
move  to  warre  with  the  salvages,  would  gladly  have 
wrangled  with  Captaine  Smith  for  his  crueltie  ;*  yet  none 

*  Take  a  sample  of  these  cruelties,  which  will  at  the  same  time 
give  a  lively  picture  of  the  life  at  Jamestown.  It  is  from  the  "  True 
Relation,"  by  Smith  himself:  "  Two  daies  after  a  Paspeheyan  came 
to  show  us  a  glistering  minerall  stone ;  and  with  signes  demonstrating 
it  to  be  in  great  aboundance,  like  unto  rockes ;  with  some  dozen  more 
I  was  sent  to  seeke  todigge  some  quantitie,  and  the  Indian  to  ccnduci 
mee ;  but  suspecting  this  some  trick  to  delude  us,  for  to  get  some  cop 
per  of  us,  or  with  some  ambuscado  to  betray  us,  seeing  him  falter  in 
his  tale,  being  two  miles  on  our  way,  led  him  ashore,  where  abusing 
(misleading)  us  from  place  to  place,  and  so  seeking  either  to  have 
drawn  us  with  him  into  the  woods,  or  to  have  given  us  the  slippe :  I 
shewed  him  copper  which  1  promised  to  have  given  him,  if  he  had 
performed  his  promise,  but  for  his  scoffing  and  abusing  us,  I  gave 
him  twentie  lashes  with  a  rope,  and  his  bowes  and  arrowes,  bidding 


1 92  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

was  slaine  [of  the  savages]  to  any  man's  knowledge,  b&'* 
it  brought  them  in  such  fear  and  obedience,  as  his  very 
name  would  sufficiently  affright  them  ;  where  before,  wee 
had  sometime  peace  and  warre  twice  in  a  day  ;  and  very 
seldome  a  weeke  but  we  had  some  treacherous  villainy  or 
other."*  It  was  perhaps  fortunate  for  Smith  that  the  mis- 

Iiim  shoote  if  he  durst,  and  so  let  him  goe."  It  was  rather  danger 
ous  to  trifle  with  our  Captain.  He  was  very  much  the  soldier,  and 
the  word  and  blow  very  frequently  went  together.  But  we  suspect 
that  such  cruelties  as  this  would  be  practised  by  Christian  soldiery  of 
modern  time*.,  under  the  same  provocation,  to  a  still  greater  extent. 
At  least,  we  are  accustomed  to  hear  of  much  worse  in  the  wars  of 
Christian  Europe. 

*  Here  we  lose  all  farther  assistance  from  the  narrative  of  Th. 
Watson,  Gent.,  otherwise  Smith  himself,  entitled,  "  A  true  relation  of 
such  occurrences  and  accidents  of  noate  as  hath  happened  in  Virginia 
since  the  first  planting  of  that  oollony,  which  is  now  resident  in  the 
south  part  thereof,  till  the  last  return  from  thence."  This  narrative, 
published  at  the  time  (1608),  brought  np  th.-  proceedings  of  the  colony 
to  the  very  moment  when  it  was  written.  It  was  probably  s°nt  hom^ 
by  the  Pjuouuix.,  aud  bears  all  the  marks  of  being  a  very  hurried  per 
formance.  The  style  is  very  confuted  arid  cumbrous — the  particulars 
not  always  given  in  due  order,  and  we  find — a  very  remarkable 
omission — no  mention  made  of  the  manner  in  which  he  was  rescued 
from  the  executioner  Powhattan  by  the  intervention  of  Pocahontas. 
Indeed,  there  appears  to  be  some  solicitude  that  Captain  Smith  should 
not  become  too  conspicuous  in  this  narrative,  and  hence,  possibly,  the 
notion  of  making  the  publication  appear  as  the  work  of  Tho.  Watson — 
a  nom  <h  plume,  for  which  we  now  find  it  difficult  to  discover  a  necessity 
or  motive.  All  reproaches  of  his  colleagues  and  associates  are  spared  in 
this  performance.  It  was  the  policy  to  make  the  settlers  appear  very  well 
contented  in  Virginia — as  in  this  way  only  could  others  be  persuaded 
to  adventure.  Hence,  at  the  conclusion,  we  have  a  picture  of  felicity  at 
Jamestown,  very  far  from  the  truth,  which  must  have  brought  them 
to  believe  in  England  that  Astraa  was  once  more  about  to  make  he' 
home  an  earth — "  We,  now  remaining,  being  in  good  health,  all  our 
men  well  contented,  free  from  mutinies,  in  love  one  with  another,  and 
as  we  hope  in  a  continuall  peace  with  the  Indians,  where,  we  doubt  not, 
but  by  God's  gracious  assistance  and  the  adventurers' willing  mindesand 


LIFE      &  F      CAPTAIN      S  iM  I  T  H  .  193 

conduct  of  the  President  himself,  in  matters  which  touched 
more  certainly  the  safety  and  well-being  of  the  colony, 
afforded  a  more  legitimate  subject  for  the  indignation  of 
their  little  community.    The  President  who  had  succeeded 
upon  the  deposition  of  Wingfield,  was  Captain  John  Rad- 
cliffe.     This  man  was  totally  unequal  to  the  situation, — is 
described  as  being  little  beloved — of  weak  judgment  in 
time  of  danger — and  of  no  industry  in  time  of  peace.     He 
was  sickly  besides,  and  freely  committed  the  responsible 
duties  of  his  office  to  the  hands  of  others.     At  first,  a  por 
tion  of  this  trust  was  given  to  Smith  ;  but  Smith  lost  favor 
in  his  sight,  and   he   then  united  himself  with  creatures 
who  hated  and  dreaded  the  vigilance  of  our  Captain, -and 
had  been  his  enemies  from  the  outset.     Radcliffe  himself 
had  been  one  of  these,  and  only  yielded  to  the  influence 
of  Smith  when  the  courage  and  peculiar  energy  and  ability 
of  our  hero  were  necessary  to  the  common  safety.     With 
the  disappearance  of  the  danger  came  a  forgetfulness  of 
his  worth  ;  and  the  President  sank  back  into  the  control 
of  those  who  were  willing  to  pander  to  his  appetites.     We 
have  seen  this  man,  assisted  by  others,   converting    the 
stores  of  the  community  into  a  source  of  revenue  for  him 
self;  continuing  this  practice,  as  if  the  stock  were  wholly 
his  own.     So  deeply   did  his  rapacity  trench  upon  the 
resources  of  the  colony,  as  to  force  upon  Smith  and  Scriv 
ener  the  necessity  of  taking  such  order  with  him  as  to  put 
a  stop  to  his   prodigality.      Measures   were   accordingly 
adopted,  by  which  to  limit  him  and  his  satellites  to  a  cer 
tain  allowance,  rated  proportionally  with  what  was  accord- 

speedie  furtherance  to  so  honorable  an  action  in  after  times,  to  see  OUT 
nation  to  enjoy  a  country  not  only  exceeding  pleasant  for  habitation, 
but  also  veiy  profitable  for  commerce  in  generall,  no  doubt  pleasing 
Almightie  God,  honorable  to  our  gracious  sovereign  and  commodious 
to  the  whole  kingdome." 


194  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

ed  to  the  rest.  This  difficulty  being  adjusted,  the  town 
rebuilt,  the  Indians  quieted,  the  corn  crop  nearly  made, 
and  all  through  the  strenuous  exertions  and  manly  courage 
of  our  Captain,  his  eager  and  impatient  spirit  began  to 
look  around  him  seeking  proper  employment.  He  was 
not  the  man  to  rest  upon  his  oars,  his  cruise  being  over, 
but  to  plan  other  voyages,  and  shape  out  new  enterprises, 
in  which  his  genius  could  find  fitting  exercise.  Denied  tc 
explore  the  interior,  and  penetrate  to  those  wondrous  ter 
ritories  of  which  Povvhatan  had  given  such  glowing  des 
criptions,  it  was  still  within  the  province  of  the  settlers  tc 
explore  the  region  contiguous  to  that  in  which  they  had 
pitched  their  tents.  Accordingly,  he  meditated  the  explo 
ration  of  the  Bay  of  Chesapeake.  To  this  no  objection 
seems  to  have  been  made.  The  President  was  probably 
only  too  well  pleased  to  be  relieved  from  the  vigilance  of 
his  eye,  and  the  unbending  rigor  of  his  justice.  His  de 
sign  was  less  adventurous,  less  perilous  than  that  which 
he  most  eagerly  desired.  We  have  seen  him  training 
seventy  men,  with  which  he  felt  himself  equal  to  the 
whole  nation  of  Powhatan.  He  might  have  made  his 
way  with  such  a  force  across  the  Apalachian  summits, 
descending  to  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi.  With  seventy 
men  Pizarro  first  penetrated  the  great  empire  of  Peru. 
Our  Captain  was  compelled  to  content  himself  with  a  more 
moderate  ambition.  His  seventy  men  were  reduced  to 
fifteen  persons,  himself  included.  One  of  these  was  a 
physician,  six  were  gentlemen — so  rated,  though  we  cannot 
well  conceive  their  uses  in  such  an  expedition — and  seven 
were  soldiers.  He  left  the  fort  on  the  second  of  June 
(1608),  in  an  open  barge  of  less  than  three  tons  burthen, 
and  made  his  way,  in  company  with  the  Phoenix,  to  Cape 
Henry,  at  which  place  he  parted  with  h.er.  Crossing  the 
bay  from  this  point  to  the  eastern  shore  they  made  the 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH.  195 

isles  which  still  bear  the  name  of  their  first  discoverer. 
Two  stout  savages  at  Cape  Charles  stood  armed  with 
lances  headed  with  bone,  and  seemed  prepared  to  do  battle 
with  our  explorers,  demanding  who  they  were  and  whence 
they  came.  The  reply  of  Smith  disarmed  them,  and  they 
civilly  directed  him  to  Accomac,  the  habitation  of  their 
Werowarce.  Here  they  were  received  kindly.  This 
chief  is  described  as  one  of  the  most  comely  and  affable 
savages  they  had  ever  met.  He  told  Smith,  among  other 
things,  ot  an  event  which  had  lately  happened,  which 
belongs  to  that  class  of  wonders  of  which  a  superstitious 
people  always  make  large  account.  Two  children  dying, 
u  some  extreame  passions,  or  dreaming  visions,  phan 
tasies,  or  affection,"  moved  their  parents  to  revisit  them 
at  their  place  of  sepulture.  To  their  wonder,  the  faces 
of  the  children  "  reflected  to  the  eyes  of  the  beholders  such 
delightful  countenances,  as  though  they  had  regained  their 
vitall  spirits.  This,  as  a  miracle,  drew  many  to  behold 
them."  The  consequences  were  fatal  to  all  who  did  so. 
A  plague  seized  upon  the  spectators,  and  but  few  escaped 
the  mortality.  In  this  way  did  the  chief  of  Accomac 
account  to  Smith  for  the  sparseness  of  his  population. 
What  effect  this  superstition  had  upon  his  character,  in 
producing  that  dignity  and  courtliness  which  we  are  told 
distinguished  him,  is  matter  for  conjecture.  He  spoke  the 
language  of  the  Powhatanese,  and  spoke  so  agreeably 
always  while  describing  the  country,  that  Smith  acknow 
ledges  it  gave  him  exceeding  pleasure  to  hear.  The 
domain  of  this  chief  lay  within  the  southwestern  part  of 
Northampton  county. 

From  Accomac  our  Captain  proceeded  along  the  coast, 
"  searching  every  inlet  and  bay  fit  for  harbours  and  habita 
tions."  He  was  baffled  by  a  thunderstorm  in  an  attempt 
to  reach  certain  isles  which  he  discovered  in  the  bay,  and 


196  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH 

had  a  narrow  escape  from  the  "  unmercifull  raging  of  thai 
ocean-like  water."  To  isle  and  headland,  names  were 
given  in  this  progress,  mostly  chosen  from  the  companions 
of  our  adventurer.  Thus  one  day  was  spent.  A  difl> 
culty  in  procuring  fresh  water  caused  them  to  turn  into 
the  next  eastern  channel,  which  brought  them  into  the 
river  Pocomoke,  then  called  Wighcomocco.  Here  tin  y 
were  at  first  threatened  by  the  savages  with  shows  of 
war,  but  the  pacific  aspect  of  the  white  men,  and  the 
judicious  management  of  Smith,  converted  the  fury  of  their 
assault  into  songs  and  dances,  and  a  reception  full  of  kind 
ness  and  good  feeling.  But  they  got  no  good  water  here, 
turning  with  loathing  from  such  puddle  as  was  offered 
them  for  drink.  "  But  before  two  daies  were  expired  we 
would  have  refused  two  barricoes  of  gold  for  one  of  that 
puddle  water  of  Wighcomocco."  The  next  water  they 
found  was  a  pond,  which  proved  to  be  a  natural  hot  bath, 
sufficiently  fresh,  but  rather  too  warm  for  drinking  pur 
poses.  This  was  upon  the  main,  upon  a  highland,  which, 
in  compliment  to  an  honorable  house  in  France,  was  call 
ed  Point  Ployer.  Resuming  their  progress,  they  encoun 
tered  a  second  thunder-storm,  if  possible  more  terrible 
than  the  first ;  lost  mast  and  sails,  and  were  so  "  over- 
racked"  by  such  u  mightie  waves,"  that  with  great  diffi 
culty  they  kept  their  barque  above  the  water.  They 
succeeded  in  making  a  port  among  certain  uninhabited 
isles,  where  they  were  kept  two  days  by  the  continuance 
of  the  storm.  They  called  this  harborage  Port  Limbo. 
Repairing  their  sails  with  their  shirts,  they  resumed  their 
voyage  and  fell  in  with  the  river  which  is  now  called 
Corghcomocco,  but  which  then  bore  the  name  of  Cuscar- 
rowack.  Here  their  presence  was  a  novelty  and  terror. 
The  people  ran  in  troops  along  the  shores  as  the  barque 
pressed  forward,  many  getting  into  the  tops  of  trees 


LIFE    OF    CAPTAIN    SMITH.  197 

to  see  and  oppose  the  strangers.  They  were  not  sparing 
of  their  arrows,  and  declared  their  hostility  with  the  most 
passionate  shows  of  violence.  But, lying  at  anchor  beyond 
the  reach  of  their  darts,  our  Captain  contented  himself 
with  making  them  signs  of  friendship.  These  did  not  appear 
to  produce  the  desired  effect,  and  the  day  passed  in  con 
tinued  demonstrations  of  hostility  on  the  part  of  the  natives. 
The  next  day  they  came  to  the  river  side  unarmed,  and 
bringing  with  them  baskets  of  corn  and  dancing  in  a  ring, 
the  wily  savages  endeavored  in  this  way  to  beguile  the 
Englishmen  ashore.  But, detecting  an  ambush  in  a  neigh 
boring  cane-brake,  Smith  answered  their  devices  with  a 
volley  of  musket-shot,  which  sent  them  tumbling  in  every 
direction.  Then  approaching  the  shore,  after  another 
volley  had  drilled  the  place  of  ambuscade,  our  Captain 
penetrated  their  habitations.  Here  he  left  some  of  the 
usu'al  trifles,  but  not  a  savage  was  to  be  seen.  The  next 
day  four  of  the  Indians  who  had  been  fishing  in  the  bay 
and  knew  nothing  of  what  had  happened,  came  to  him 
in  a  canoe  and  had  a  conference.  They  disappeared  and 
soon  brought  others,  the  number  gradually  increasing  to 
two  or  three  thousand,  men,  women,  and  children,  each 
bringing  a  present,  and  each  so  gratified  with  the  merest 
trifle  in  return,  that  a  friendship  was  struck  up  between 
the  parties, of  such  a  zealous  nature,  that  the  Indians  strove 
with  one  another  who  should  fetch  water  for  the  pale 
faces,  become  their  hostages,  guide  them  through  the" 
country,  or  most  content  them  in  whatever  they  desired. 
Here  dwelt  the  people  of  Sarapinagh,  Nanse,  Arseek,  and 
Nantaquak — tribes  of  which  there  now  remain  no  ves 
tiges.  Smith  describes  them  as  the  best  merchants  among 
the  Indians.  They  were  the  manufacturers,  and  carried 
on  the  commerce.  They  had  the  finest  furs  and  made 
.arge  quantities  of  the  best  Roanoke.  This  was  a  sort  of 


1 98  LIFEOF     CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

white  bead  wrought  from  shells,  which  served  with  the 
savages  of  the  whole  country  as  a  circulating  medium. 
It  was,  with  copper,  their  substitute  for  gold  and  silver. 
These  people  were  small  of  stature.  They  arousec 
Smith's  curiosity  in  relation  to  a  people  called  the  Massa- 
womekes,  a  masculine  and  valiant  race,  very  numerous, 
and  very  powerful  ;  who  possessed  in  Large  degree  the 
amiable  faculty  of  keeping  their  neighbors  in  constant 
apprehension.  These  people  are  supposed  to  have  been 
those  afterwards  so  famous  in  Knglish  annals  as  the  six 
nations,  and  among  the  French  as  the  Iroquois — the  great 
confederacy  of  the  north,  whose  claims  to  conquest — 
claims  which  we  suspect  were  only  partially  founded  in 
the  truth — have  procured  for  them  the  title  of  the  Romans 
of  America.  It  is  very  sure  that  their  neighbors  gave  a 
formidable  account  of  them.  If  Powhatan  did  not  abso 
lutely  fear,  he  greatly  respected  them  ;  and  what  was 
said  of  them,  their  valor  and  resources,  by  the  Powhatan- 
ese,  provoked  the  curiosity  of  our  Captain,  and  determined 
him,  very  much  against  the  wishes  of  his  companions,  to 
make  the  discovery  of  their  territories  one  of  the  grand 
objects  of  his  expedition.  His  adventurous  spirit  panted 
to  make  the  acquaintance  of  a  nation  sufficiently  power 
ful  to  make  their  conquest  equally  honorable  and  de 
sirable. 

From  the  eastern  shore,  which  he  found  broken  with 
uninhabited  islands,  and  for  the  most  part  without  fresh 
water,  he  stood  westward  across  the  bay  arid  made  the 
mouth  of  the  Patuxent.  For  thirty  leagues  sailing  north 
ward  no  inhabitants  were  found.  In  place  of  these,  how 
ever,  there  were  wolves,  bears,  deer,  and  other  wild 
beasts  in  abundance,  and  an  ample  supply  of  water.  Pass 
ing  many  shallow  streams,  the  first  they  found  navigable 
was  one  supposed  to  be  the  Patapsco,  to  which,  on  ac- 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  199 

count  of  the  appearance  of  the  clay  along  the  cliffs,  resem 
bling  bol  ammonia,  they  gave  the  name  of  Bolus.  But 
that  Smith  himself  has  provided  us  with  this  derivation, 
we  might  have  ascribed  this  infelicitous  title  to  the  work 
ing  of  a  mutinous  spirit  among  the  gentlemen  of  the  expe 
dition,  which  broke  out  at  this  place.  It  was  thought, 
when  the  voyage  was  begun,  that  it  would  be  only  too 
ghort  a  one  to  gratify  the  eager  curiosity  of  those  who 
were  about  to  embark — that  Smith  would  be  in  too  great 
a  hurry  to  get  back  to  the  colony,  supposing  his  presence 
to  be  necessary  to  the  proper  management  of  affairs  with 
such  a  person  as  Radclifte  in  the  presidency.  But  the 
notion  of  these  gallants,  who  were  none  of  them  accustom 
ed  to  hardships,  soon  began  to  change  when,  at  the  end  of 
twelve  or  fourteen  days,  spent  in  an  open  barge,  weary  of 
the  oars,  bread  soaked  with  wet  and  much  of  it  decayed, 
yet  still  susceptible  of  digestion  by  hungry  stomachs — 
they  found  him  meditating  a  visit  to  the  Massawomekes, 
and  other  tedious  and  dangerous  adventures.  Their  dis 
contents  grew  at  length  to  such  importunancy,  as  to  pro 
voke  our  Captain  to  declare  himself  in  the  following 
manner  : 

"  Gentlemen,  if  you  would  remember  the  memorable 
history  of  Sir  Ralph  Sayre,  how  his  company  importuned 
him  to  proceed  in  the  discovery  of  Moratico,  alledging 
they  had  yet  a  dog,  that  being  boyled  with  saxafras  leaves 
would  richly  feede  them  in  their  returnes  ;  then,  what  a 
shame  would  it  be  for  you  (that  have  bin  so  suspitious  of 
my  tendernesse)  to  force  me  returne,  with  so  much  pro 
vision  as  we  have,  and  scarce  able  to  say  where  we  have 
beene,  nor  yet  heard  of  that  wee  were  sent  to  seeke  ?  You 
cannot  say  but  I  have  shared  with  you  in  the  worst  which 
is  past ;  and  for  what  is  to  come,  of  lodging,  dyet,  or 
whatsoever,  1  am  contented  you  allot  the  worst  part  to 


200  LIFE      OP     CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

myselfe.  As  for  your  feares  that  I  will  lose  myself  ir 
these  unknowne  large  waters,  or  be  swallowed  up  in  some 
stormie  gust,  abandon  these  childish  feares,  for  worse  than 
is  past  is  not  likely  to  happen,  and  there  is  as  much  dan 
ger  to  return  as  to  proceede.  Regaine,  therefore,  youi 
old  spirits,  for  returne  I  will  not  (if  God  please)  till  I  have 
seene  the  Massawomekes,  found  Patawomek,  or  the  head 
of  this  water,  you  conceit  to  be  eridlesse." 

This  firm  expression  of  his  resolve  silenced  the  discon 
tents,  but  circumstances  helped  their  entreaties.  Three 
or  four  of  them  fell  sick,  and  this,  with  a  continuance  of 
adverse  weather  for  several  days,  determined  Smith,  how 
ever  unwillingly,  to  forbear  for  the  present  the  prosecution 
of  the  voyage.  He  left  the  bay  where  it  was  some  nine 
miles  wide,  with  a  draught  of  nine  or  ten  fathoms,  and  on 
the  16th  of  June  fell  in  with  the  mouth  of  the  Potomac 

The  sight  of  this  noble  river  cheered  the  drooping  spi 
rits  of  his  men,  and  their  health  being  somewhat  restored, 
it  was  determined  to  explore  it.  For  thirty  miles  no 
inhabitants  were  seen.  At  length  they  met  with  two,  who 
conducted  them  up  a  little  creek  towards  Onanomanient, 
and  into  an  ambuscade.  Here  the  English  found  them 
selves  surrounded  by  savages  to  the  number  of  three  or 
four  thousand  ; — "  So  strangely  paynted,  grimed  and  dis 
guised,  shouting,  yelling  arid  crying,  as  so  many  spirits 
from  hell  coukl  not  have  showed  more  terrible."  But 
Smith  cared  little  for  their  bravados  Still,  it  was  deemed 
necessary  to  scare  them  a  little,  and,  training  his  guns  so 
as  to  allow  the  stroke  of  the  bullets  to  be  seen  by  the 
savages  upon  the  water,  he  gave  them  a  few  volleys, 
which  soon  brought  them  to  their  senses.  Down  went 

O 

bows  and  arrows,  and  all  was  peace  between  the  parties, 
and  wonderment  at  least  with  one  of  them.  They  sur 
prised  Smith  with  some  of  their  statements.  They  did 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN'    SMITH.  201 

not  hesitate  to  declare  that  they  had  been  commanded  to 
destroy  the  English  by  Powhatan,  who  had  heard  of  this 
expedition.  This  was  not  so  much  calculated  to  provoke 
his  astonishment  as  what  they  told  him  farther,  to  the 
effect  that  Powhatan  had  been  advised  by  certain  of  the 
settlers  at  Jamestown  of  all  Smith's  proceedings,  and  had 
been  encouraged  by  them  to  put  him  to  death,  as  he  kept 
them  in  the  country  against  their  will.  The  reckless 
manner  in  which  men  were  gathered  up  in  England  for  the 
purposes  of  colonization  is  matter  of  history.  We  know 
very  well  that  the  profligate  and  criminal  but  too  com 
monly  furnished  the  chief  materials  for  such  enterprises. 
But  it  is  not  easy  to  yield  our  faith  to  such  desperate 
wickedness  as  this,  and  we  should  be  now  inclined  to 
withhold  it,  and  to  ascribe  it  to  some  imperfect  under 
standing  of  what  was  said  by  the  savages,  but  that  subse 
quent  circumstances,  absolute  facts,  and  the  commission 
of  particular  deeds  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  wretches 
thus  characterized,  go  fully  to  confirm  the  statement. 

Their  farther  progress  up  the  river  found  the  people  at 
all  places,  with  few  exceptions,  armed  and  ready  in  the 
same  spirit  and  under  the  same  instructions  to  assail  them. 
The  Moyaones,  Nacotchtants,  and  Toays — heathen  of 
whom  we  have  no  farther  traces — alone  received  them 
with  hospitality.  Having  gone  as  far  as  they  could  go  in 
their  vessel,  they  commenced  their  return,  and  were  for 
tunate  in  meeting  with  numerous  savages  ;n  canoes  well 
stocked  with  the  flesh  of  slaughtered  bears,  deer,  and 
other  beasts,  of  which  they  received  liberal  portions. 
The  aspect  of  the  shores,  with  great  rocks  towering  above 
the  trees,  commanded  their  attention,  more  particularly  as 
the  progress  of  water  down  the  sides  had  left  "  a  tinc 
tured  spangled  skurfe,  that  made  many  bare  places  seeme 
as  guilded."  Dreams  of  gold  and  gold  mountains  were 


202  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

ever  working  in  the  brains  of  the  voyagers  of  those  days. 
Smith  himself  seems  to  have  been  superior  to  the  various 
delusions  by  which  they  were  mocked.  But  not  so  his 
companions.  They  clambered  up  the  rocks,  and  burrow 
ed  in  the  earth  among  their  highest  cliffs.  The  ground 
was  so  sprinkled  with  yellow  spangles  as  to  seem  "  halfe 
pin  dust."  Conducted  by  Japazaws,  King  of  Patawo- 
meke,  still  under  the  belief  that  they  were  on  the  tracks 
of  a  gold  mine,  they  ascended  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the 
Potomac  as  far  as  the  depth  of  water  would  suffer  the  boat 
to  go.  Here  Smith  left  her,  taking  with  him  six  men,  and 
surrounded  by  divers  savages,  some  of  whom,  to  be  sure 
of  their  fidelity,  he  carried  in  the  twofold  character  of 
guides  and  hostages.  These  he  adroitly  decorated  with 
chains  which,  if  they  conducted  him  in  safety,  they  were 
to  keep  as  ornaments.  The  temptation  was  too  great  to 
suffer  them  to  feel  the  weight  or  the  restraint  of  their 
decorations.  They  meant  him  fairly,  and  conducted  him 
to  the  foot  of  a  mountain,  the  substance  of  which  seemed 
to  be  antimony.  The  tribes  had  burrowed  in  its  bowels 
before.  Their  shells  and  hatchets  had  long  been  familiar 
with  its  treasures.  Washed  of  its  dross  "  in  a  fayre 
brooke  of  christel-like  water,"  which  "  runneth  hard  by 
it,"  it  is  put  into  little  bags,  and  made  an  article  of  trade 
of  ready  sale  throughout  the  country.  It  had  no  use  bu 
as  a  paint.  With  this  they  paint  the  images  of  their  gods 
and  their  own  bodies  and  faces,  "  which  makee  them 
looke  like  blackmoores  dusted  over  with  silver  "  Re 
warding  his  guides,  and  the  king  to  whom  they  belonged, 
our  Captaine  obtained  u  supply  of  this  precious  commodity. 
This  was  sent  to  England  ;  was  represented  by  Newport 
to  be  half  silver,  and  new  supplies  were,  procured,  which 
proved  to  oe  of  no  value.  IVo  minerals  were  discovered 
in  this  search.  Some  furs  were  gathered,  the  best  of 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SiMITH.  203 

\vhich  were  found  among  the  Indians  of  Cascarawaoke, 
that  merchant  tribe  which  did  so  much  of  the  manufactur 
ing  and  trading  of  the  country.  Beavers,  otters,  bears, 
martens,  and  minkes,  rewarded  in  some  slight  degree  their 
search  ;  and  fish  were  in  such  abundance,  "  lying  so 
thicke,  with  their  heads  above  the  water,  as  for  want  of 
nets  (our  barge  driving  amongst  them)  we  attempted  to 
catch  them  with  a  fryingpan  !"  But  this  was  found,  drily 
remarks  our  narrative,  "  a  bad  instrument  to  catch  fish 
with."  They  succeeded  better  with  their  swords,  foUow- 
ing  the  example  of  Smith,  who,  whenever  at  ebb  tide  their 
boat  chanced  to  ground  upon  the  shoals  at  the  entrances 
of  rivers,  would  amuse  "  himselfe  by  nayling  them  to  the 
ground  with  his  sword."  Thus  sporting,  more  fish  would 
be  taken  in  an  hour  than  would  suffice  the  party  for  a 
day. 

On  one  occasion  this  amusement  had  nearly  proved  fatal 
to  our  hero.  Taking  from  his  sword  a  stingray — a  fish 
the  character  of  which  he  did  not  know — "  being  much  of 
the  fashion  of  a  thornback,  but  a  long  tayle  like  a  riding 
rodde,  whereon  the  middest  is  a  most  poysoned  sting,  of 
two  or  three  inches  long,  bearded  like  a  saw  on  each  side" 
— it  struck  its  weapon  into  his  wrist  to  the  depth  of  nearly 
an  inch  and  a  half.  No  blood  or  even  wound  was  per 
ceptible  at  first,  with  the  exception  of  a  slight  blue  spot ; 
but  the  torment  was  extreme  and  instantaneous.  In  four 
hours  such  was  the  swollen  state  of  his  arm  and  shoulder, 
and  such  the  condition  to  which  the  patient  was  reduced, 
that  his  companions  concluded  he  must  die.  Such  was 
his  own  conviction,  and  with  that  exercise  of  firmness  and 
will  which  seemed  to  distinguish  equally  all  his  actions, 
ne  chose  his  place  of  burial  in  a  neighboring  island, 
and  there  his  comrades,  with  heavy  hearts,  proceeded  to 
prepare  his  grave.  But  it  was  not  the  will  of  providence 


204  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

that  he  should  perish  thus.  There  was  still  work  for  his 
hands.  "  It  pleased  God,  by  a  precious  oyle,"  that  Dr. 
Russell  should  finally  give  relief  to  the  agonizing  pain  of 
his  limb  and  reduce  its  swelling,  and  so  far  from  being 
buried,  he  survived  to  revenge  himself  upon  the  fish  by 
partaking  heartily  of  it  that  night  for  supper.  The  island 
where  this  occurred,  at  the  north  of  the  Rappahannock, 
still  bears,  in  the  name  of  the  fish,  the  memory  of  the 
event. 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE  hurt  under  which  our  Captain  still  suffered  in  some 
degree  contributed  to  the  return  of  the  voyagers.  But 
for  this  they  mi^nt  still  have  loitered  along  the  route  tor 
further  discoveries.  Once  fairly  under  weigh,  Smith  con 
trived  to  extract  from  his  men  all  the  services  of  which 
they  were  capable. 

Their  arrival  at  the  Indian  settlement  of  Kecoughtan 
(Hampton)  was  a  subject  of  surprise  to  the  savages,  who 
"seeing  our  Captain  hurt,  and  another  bloody  by  break 
ing  his  shinne, — our  number  of  bowes,  arrowes,  swords, 
mantles  and  furrs,  would  needes  imagine  we  had  beene  at 
warres."  The  simple  statement  of  the  truth  would  not 
satisfy  them,  and  finding  them  resolved  on  believing  no 
thing  less  than  they  fancied,  they  were  fooled  by  our 
voyagers  to  the  top  of  their  bent,  "  Finding  their  apt- 
nesse  to«beleeve,  we  fayled  not  (as  a  great  secret)  to  teli 
them  anything  which  might  affright  them, — what  spoyle 
we  had  got  and  made  of  the  Massawomeks."  In  the 
same  spirit,  disguising  their  bark  with  painted  streamers 
and  other  devices,  our  voyagers  appeared  before  the  peo 
ple  of  Jamestown  as  a  Spanish  frigate,  and  filled  them 
with  terror  for  a  season.  They  reached  the  colony  on 
the  21st  of  July,  having  been  absent  twenty  days 

Smith's  return  to  the  colony  was  always  seasonable. 
As  usual  he  found  things  in  evil  condition.  The  last 
comers  from  Europe  were  all  sick  ;  of  the  rest  some  were 
lame  and  bruised,  and  all  unhappy — all  complaining  of  the 
President.  That  weak  and  vicious  person  had  resumed 
14 


206  LIFE      OF     CAPTAIIf      SMITH. 

his  evil  practices,  had  riotously  consumed  the  publit 
stores,  had  been  guilty  of  needless  cruelties,  and  had 
completed  the  measure  of  his  follies  and  offences  by  task 
ing  the  labor  of  the  people  in  building  a  sort  of  pleasure- 
house  in  the  woods  for  his  personal  indulgence.  But  fot 
Smith's  return,  the  discontents  of  the  country  would  have 
summarily  revenged  themselves  upon  \he  offender.  Their 
apprehensions  were  relieved,  but  their  fury  scarcely  les 
sened,  by  the  coming  of  our  Captain.  The  news  he 
brought,  the  supplies,  and  in  particular  his  own  presence, 
which  always  had  the  tendency  to  reassure  the  timid  and 
desponding,  enabled  them  to  forgive  the  offences  of  the 
President.  But  they  insisted  upon  his  deposition,  and 
required  Smith  to  take  upon  him  the  government,  "  as  by 
course  it  did  belong  to  him."  But  the  mere  name  of 
office  was  not  a  temptation  to  one  who  sought  to  perform 
and  to  achieve,  rather  than  to  rule.  He  preferred  the 
more  active  toils  of  exploration ;  and,  resolutely  denying 
their  entreaties,  substituted  Mr.  Scrivener,  whom  he  calls 
his  "  deare  friend,"  for  himself  in  the  Presidency.  Then, 
"  in  regard  of  the  company,  and  heate  of  the  yeare,  they 
being  unable  to  worke,  he  lefte  them  to  live  at  ease,  to 
recover  their  healths,"  and  re-embarked  on  the  24th  of 
July — after  a  rest  of  two  days  only — to  finish  his  dis 
coveries,  taking  with  him  nearly  the  same  persons  as 
before.  Contrary  winds  kept  them  two  or  three  days  ai 
Kecoughtan,  where  the  king  feasted  them  with  much 
satisfaction  ;  the  more  particularly  as  the  Indians  per 
suaded  themselves  that  Smith  was  going  on  an  expedition 
Hgainst  the  hateful  Massawomeks.  A  few  rockets  which 
ne  fired  in  air  convinced  the  terrified  savages  that  their 
new  allies  were  irresistible,  and  they  saw  them  depart  on 
the  supposed  invasion  -with  the  happiest  hopes  and  rejoic 
ings  The  first  night,  Smith  anrhor^d  at  Stingray  Islft,  » 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  20? 

place  memorable  in  his  late  experience.  The  next  day 
crossing  the  Potomac,  he  made  for  the  river  Bolus,  other 
wise  Patapsco.  This  stream,  as  our  voyagers  pursued  it 
to  its  sources,  was  found  to  divide  itself  into  four  heads. 
These  they  separately  followed,  exploring  them  as  far  as 
tb^ir  boat  could  penetrate.  Two  of  these  tributaries,  the 
Sasquesahanock  (Susquehanna)  and  the  Tockwogh  (since 
called  the  Sassafras),  they  found  to  be  inhabited.  In  cross 
ing  the  bay,  they  unexpectedly  encountered  seven  or 
eight  canoes  filled  with  the  renowned  Massawomeks,  so 
much  feared  by  the  Powhatanese,  and  whom  Smith  so 
much  desired  to  see.  The  bold  savages  prepared  at  once 
for  a  conflict,  and  our  Captain  was  no  less  prompt  and 
decisive.  He  drew  in  his  oars,  and  made  all  sail  in  pur 
suit.  Some  of  his  men,  unaccustomed  to  the  climate,  had 
fallen  sick  "  almost  to  death,"  since  leaving  Kecoughtan. 
These  were  "  all  of  the  last  supply."  They  were  made 
to  lay  themselves  down  in  the  boat,  and  were  covered 
with  the  tarpaulin  out  of  all  danger.  Their  hats  only 
were  made  use  of.  Raised  on  sticks,  a  hat  between  every 
two  men,  the  force  of  Smith  was  doubled  to  the  eyes  of 
their  enemies.  He  had  need  of  some  such  rase  de  guerre 
to  impress  the  warlike  savages  with  any  respect.  His 
men  able  to  do  battle  were  but  five  in  number.  His  bold 
ness  had  its  effect.  Supposing  his  hats  to  be  men — and 
white  men,  too,  of  whom  probably  vague  and  very  terrible 
accounts  had  already  reached  their  ears — the  formidable 
Massawomeks  took  to  flight,  and  made  with  all  possible 
speed  to  the  shore.  Here  they  drew  up,  watchful  of  all 
the  movements  of  the  barge,  until  she  anchored  right 
against  them.  It  was  difficult  to  persuade  them  of  the 
pacific  intentions  of  the  strangers.  There  were  no  Indian 
words  known  to  Smith  which  they  seemed  to  comprehend 
>  me  of  theirs  could  be  understood.  But  perseverance 


COR  LIFE      OK      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

and  patience  produced  their  usual  effects,  and  two  of  the 
Indians  were  moved  by  signs  to  approach  the  whites 
unarmed  in  a  canoe.  The  rest  all  followed  in  their  sup- 
port.  A  present  of  a  bell  to  each  of  the  first  comers, 
brought  the  rest  aboard  in  the  most  pacific  moods  am 
attitudes.  They  brought  venison  and  bear's  ilesh  to  pre 
sent  to  the  strangers,  and  even  gave  them  of  their  bows 
and  arrows,  their  clubs,  targets,  and  bear  skins.  Smith 
requited  them  with  gifts  quite  as  valuable  to  them  or  more 
so.  They  gave  him  to  understand  that  they  had  just  been 
fighting  with  their  enemies  the  Tockwoghs,  and  showed 
him  their  green  wounds  in  proof  of  the  seriousness  of  the 
encounter.  The  interview  was  friendly  throughout.  The 
night  separated  the  parties,  and  with  the  morning  the 
Massawomeks  were  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

The  next  day  the  English  proceeded  to  the  country  ot 
the  Tockv-  wghs.  Entering  the  river  of  that  name,  they 
found  themselves  environed  by  the  savages  in  a  fleet  of 
canoes.  They  were  all  armed,  and  had  prepared  them 
selves,  in  all  probability,  for  the  enemies  from  whom 
Smith  had  just  separated.  His  policy  was  to  conciliate 
this  people,  and  he  did  not  scruple  to  shape  his  story  for 
this  purpose.  He  displayed  the  weapons  obtained  from 
the  Massawomeks,  and  claimed  to  have  taken  them  in 
battle.  The  Tockwoghs  recognized  the  spears  and  the 
shields,  the  bows  and  arrows  of  their  most  formidable 
opponents,  and  they  welcomed  the  whites  with  acclama 
tions.  Conducting  them  to  their  hamlet,  which  was 
palisaded  and  otherwise  strongly  fortified,  they  spread 
their  furs  and  fruits  before  the.  strangers.  The  women 
and  children  hailed  them  with  songs  and  dances,  and  all 
parties  strove  in  every  possible  way  to  express  the  warmth 
and  the  extent  of  their  gratification.  They  saw  hatchets, 
krrVoq,  fragments  of  brass  and  iron  ain*n£  these  people, 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN       S  M  I  T  H  209 

who  said  they  obtained  them  from  the  Sasquesahanocks — • 
a  nation  of  Indians  who  dwelt  at  the  sources  of  the  river 
which  bore  their  name.  These  they  described  as  a  very 
mighty  people,  and  the  mortal  enemies  of  the  Massawo- 
meks.  Smith  was  curious  to  see  this  people.  He  per 
suaded  his  hosts  to  send  a  dispatch  and  invite  them  to  an 
interview.  This  was  done,  and  after  a  few  days  they 
came  down,  sixty  in  number,  bringing  with  them  gifts  of 
venison,  tobacco  pipes  three  feet  in  length,  and  worthy  of 
a  sultan,  baskets,  targets,  bows  and  arrows — all  the  speci 
mens  of  native  production  which  they  had  to  offer.  Smith 
describes  th^m  as  very  noble  specimens  of  humanity.  He 
speaks  of  them  as  a*  race  of  giants.  u  Such  greate  and 
well  proportioned  men  are  seldome  seene,  for  they  seemed 
like  giants  to  the  English,  yea,  and  unto  their  neighbours." 
He  speaks  of  them  as  in  other  respects  the  "  strangest 
people  of  all  those  countries."  They  were  of  n  simple 
and  confiding  temper,  and  could  scarcely  be  restrained 
from  prostrating  themselves  in  adoration  of  the  white 
strangers.  Their  language  seemed  to  correspond  with 
their  proportions,  "  sounding  from  them  as  a  voyce  in  a 
vault."  They  were  clad  in  bear  and  wolfskins,  wearing 
the  skin  as  the  Mexican  his  poncho,  passing  the  head 
through  a  slit  in  the  centre,  and  letting  the  garment  drape 
naturally  around  from  the  shoulders.  "  Some  have 
cassocks  made  of  beares'  heads  and  skinnes,  that  a  man's 
head  goes  through  the  skinne's  neck,  and  the  eares  of  the. 
beare  fastened  to  his  shoulders,  the  nose  and  teeth  hano-- 

O 

ing  down  his  breast,  another  beare's  face  split  behind  him, 
and  at  the  end  of  the  nose  hung  a  pawe  ;  the  halfe  sleeves 
comming  to  the  elbowes  were  the  necks  of  the  beares, 
and  the  armes  through  the  mouth  with  pawes  hanging  at 
their  noses.  One  had  the  head  of  a  wolfe  hanging  in  a 
chaine  for  a  Jewell,,  his  tobacco  pipe  three  quarters  of  a 


21U  LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH 

yard  long,  prettily  carved  with  a  bird,  a  deere,  or  some 
such  devise  at  the  great  end,  sufficient  to  beat  out  one's 
braines." 

Such  details  will  be  hereafter  valuable  to  the  students 
of  American  art.  The  masquerader,  whose  ambition  it 
will  be  to  simulate  the  barbarous  fantasticalities  of  the 
Sasquesahanocks,  need  not  blunder  in  his  costume.  Smith, 
who  was  a  good  draughtsman,  the  circumstances  of  his 
education  considered,  has  given  us  a  spirited  sketch  of  one 
of  these  gigantic  warriors,  "  the  greatest  of  them,"  thus 
attired  : — "  The  calfe  of  whose  leg  was  three  quarters  of 
a  yard  about,  and  all  the  rest  of  his  limbes  so  answerable 
to  thai  proportion,  that  he  seemed  the  goodliest  man  we 
ever  beheld.  His  hayre  the  one  side  was  long,  the  other 
shore  close,  with  a  ridge  over  his  crowne  like  a  cock's 
combe.  His  arrows  were  five  quarters  long,  headed  with 
the  splinters  of  a  white  chrystall-like  stone,  in  forme  of  a 
heart,  an  inche  broad,  and  an  inche  and  a  halfe  or  more 
long.  These  he  wore  in  a  wolve's  skinne  at  his  backe  for 
his  quiver,  his  bow  in  the  one  hand  and  his  club  in  the 
other,  as  is  described." 

It  is  seldom  that  we  have  reason  to  suspect  or  accuse 
Smith  of  exaggeration.  For  a  traveller  he  is  exceedingly 
circumspect.  We  see  no  reason  to  question  the  perfect 
correctness  of  this  description.  In  respect  to  the  costume, 
we  have  abundant  proofs  of  its  singular  propriety  and 
truth.  His  example  here  is  taken  from  a  remarkable 
instance,  even  among  his  people.  The  Sasquesahanocks 
are  all  described  as  above  the  ordinary  size — a  very  supe 
rior  race  of  men  ;  but  this,  their  chief,  is  great  even 
among  them.  He  is  as  Saul  among  the  Israelites — as 
Goliath  among  the  people  of  Gath.  Pursuing  the  trade 
of  war,  in  a  climate  at  once  mild  and  invigorating,  fed  on 
vhe  simplest  fruils  of  the  earth,  enslaved  by  no  intoxicat- 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  211 

ing  or  enfeebling  habits,  and  constantly  exercising  in  the 
dangers  of  the  field  or  the  sports  of  the  chase  all  the  mus 
cles  of  manhood,  we  must  not  wonder  that  the  warrior  of 
Virginia  towers  above  the  feebler  race,  whom  luxuries 
circumvent  and  overthrow,  as  the  lap  of  Dalilah  robs  the 
son  of  Manoah  of  all  his  strength.  Individuals  may  be 
seen  even  now,  who  would  compare  with  our  Sasquesa- 
hanock  giant. 

Smith  seems  never  to  have  neglected  the  duties  of 
religion.  His  reverence  naturally  belonged  to,  and  was 
in  some  measure  the  source  of  his  earnestness  of  charac 
ter.  His  enterprises  did  not  interfere  with  the  daily  rites 
of  worship.  On  the  ocean,  in  the  deep  forests,  his  daily 
order  was  to  have  prayer  and  psalm,  such  as  the  Christian 
manuals  have  afforded  for  a  thousand  years,  suited  to  all 
the  situations  and  conditions  of  mankind.  This  service 
was  not  foregone  because  of  the  presence  of  the  savages. 
Perhaps  it  was  more  fervently  insisted  on  for  this  very 
reason.  The  Tockwoghs  and  Sasquesahanocks,  much 
edified  and  wondering,  looked  on  in  respectful  silence, 
then  followed  up  the  holy  proceedings  by  something  of 
their  own,  after  a  similar  fashion.  Their  hands  were 
lifted  in  a  passionate  manner  to  the  sun,  the  visible  source 
of  energy  with  all  barbarous  people.  Then  followed  a 
most  "  fearefull  song."  The  American  Indians  are  not, 
like  the  Africans,  a  musical  race,  though  it  is  very  possible 
that  our  stout  Sasquesahanocks  sang  very  nearly  as  well, 
though  perhaps  not  in  so  artistical  a  manner,  as  r«n  Eng 
lish.  It  was  the  ear  of  the  latter  which  was  not  attuned 
to  the  "  native  wood-notes  wild"  of  their  tawny  com 
panions,  In  all  probability  the  Tockwogh  critics  had 
something  disparaging  to  say  of  the  English  music,  after 
the  latter  had  departed.  The  song  of  the  savages  was 
succeeded  bj  a  general  embrace  of  "  our  Captaine,"  whom 


212  LIFE     OP      CAPTA1IS      SMITH. 

they  would  have  proceeded  to  worship  as  a  being  of  supe 
rior  order  but  for  his  decided  opposition.  Denied  to 
worship,  they  were  yet  suffered  to  apostrophize  their 
guests,  and  "  with  a  most  strange  furious  action  and  a 
hellish  voice,"  they  made  him  an  oration,  expressive  of 
their  friendship.  Then  followed  the  symbolical  proceed 
ings,  by  which  their  sentiments  were  better  conveyed  than- 
through  their  speeches.  They  seized  upon  our  Captain, 
covered  him  "  with  a  great  painted  beare's  skin,"  hung 
about  his  neck  u  a  great  chayne  of  white  beads,  weighing 
at  least  six  or  seven  pounds,  and  laid  eighteen  mantels, 
made  of  divers  sorts  of  skinnes  sowed  together,"  with 
many  other  toys,  at  his  feet.  Then  while  their  ceremo 
nious  hands  stroked  his  neck,  they  tendered  him  support 
and  tribute,  and  implored  him  to  remain  their  governor 
and  protector.  They  gave  him  descriptions  of  their  own 
and  the  neighboring  countries  ;  "  of  Atquanachuck,  Mas- 
sawomek,  and  other  people,"  whom  they  described  as 
living  "  upon  a  great  water  beyond  the  mountains,  which 
he  understood  to  be  some  great  lake  or  the  river  of 
Canada." 

The  Sasquesahanocks  were  a  populous  nation,  using  the 
standards  of  tribes  equally  wandering  and  sterile.  They 
could  muster  six  hundred  righting  men,  and  dwelt  in 
hamlets  which  were  palisadoed.  They  were  scarcely 
known  to  Powhatan,*  yet  were  mortal  enemies  to  the 

*  And  yet,  adopting  the  statements  of  the  Six  Nations  themselves, 
the  latter  are  assumed  to  have  been  the  conquerors  of  the  whole 
country,  and  to  have  swept  with  their  arms  the  vast  Atlantic  ranges* 
of  the  Apalachian  chain  from  Maine  to  Florida.  The  pretensions  of 
the  Six  Nations  were  greatly  misunderstood  at  first;  and  they  derived1 
jieir  titles  (by  conquest)  from  the  representations  of  the  whites,  to 
whom  they  were  required  to  give  titk-s.  The  Indian  tribes  have 
•nus  repeatedly  sold  territories  oa  which  they  themselves  had  nev«* 
tared  to  sei;  a  foot. 


LIFE      OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  213 

Massawomekes.  From  the  French  of  Canada  they  pro 
cured  their  hatchets  and  other  European  commodities 
It  was  with  much  difficulty  that  Smith  tore  himself  away 
from  this  hospitable  and  simple  people.  He  left  them, 
promising  to  visit  them  again  next  year. 

Returning  down  the  bay  to  the  Rappahannock,  our 
party  explored  every  river  and  inlet  of  any  consequence 
along  the  route,  giving  English  names  to  stream  and  head 
land,  boring  holes  in  trees,  in  which  they  left  notes  or 
memoranda,  and  raising  crosses  of  wood,  and  sometimes 
of  brass,  to  signify  that  possession  had  been  taken  of  the 
country  by  English  authority.  In  penetrating  the  Rappa 
hannock  they  were  kindly  entertained  by  a  people  called 
the  Moraughtacunds,  iniluenced  probably  by  the  presence 
of  an  Indian  named  Mosco,  whom  Smith  styles  an  old 
friend,  and  who  claimed  to  be  a  countryman  of  the  whites. 
Unlike  the  savages,  Mosco  luxuriated  in  a  fine,  black, 
bushy  beard,  of  which  he  was  not  a  little  proud.  Upon 
this  peculiarity  he  built,  in  ranking  himself  with  the 
English.  Smith  supposed  him  to  have  been  the  son  of 
some  Frenchman.  Mosco  took  great  pride  in  entertaining 
his  countrymen  ;  brought  them  wood  and  water,  procured 
them  the  services  of  the  Indians,  and  was  himself  their 
guide  throughout  the  neighborhood.  At  parting  he  coun 
selled  them  not  to  visit  the  Rappahannocks,  whom  he 
described  as  hostile  to  the  Moraughtacunds,  and  would  be 
to  the  English  when  they  knew  of  their  friendship  with 
the  latter.  Smith,  suspecting  that  this  representation 
sprung  from  a  desire  to  secure  all  their  trade  for  his 
friends,  gave  it  no  heed,  and  crossed  the. river  to  the  terri 
tories  of  the  tabooed  people.  But  Mosco  wras  honest. 
Some  twelve  or  sixteen  Indians  along  the  shore  directed 
the  English  to  the  mouth  of  a  creek  where  there  was  a 
good  landing.  Here  they  found  three  or  four  canoes,  in 


214  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

which  they  had  put,  as  so  much  bait,  certain  of  the 
commodities  which  they  gave  in  barter.  But  Smith  was 
not  so  easily  caught.  His  custom  was,  wherever  the 
parties  were  of  doubtful  faith,  to  exchange  a  man  as  a 
hostage — "  in  sign  of  love" — and  until  they  complied  with 
this  requisition,  our  Rappahannocks  could  not  persuade 
him  to  come  within  their  clutches.  At  length,  after  some 
consultation,  some  four  or  five  of  them  darted  up  to  their 
middles  into  the  creek,  bringing  with  them  their  hostage. 
They  showed  our  Captain  that  they  had  no  weapons,  but 
he  was  still  distrustful,  and  while  detaining  their  man, 
sent  one  of  his  own,  Anas  Todkill,  ashore  to  look  about 
for  "  ambuscadoes."  Todkill  was  not  suffered  to  advance 
far,  nor  did  he  need  to  do  so,  for  in  a  stone's  throw  from 
the  landing  he  discovered  some  two  or  three  hundred 
savages  in  ambush  among  the  trees.  His  hasty  movement 
to  return  to  the  boat  was  intercepted.  The  Rappahan 
nocks,  perceiving  that  their  design  was  discovered, 
attempted  to  carry  him  off  perforce  ;  and  in  the  same 
moment  the  Indian  left  as  a  hostage  in  the  boat  sprang 
overboard,  but  was  slain  the  next  moment  in  the  water. 
A  volley  from  the  barge  scattered  the  savages,  and  Tod 
kill  escaped  their  clutches.  Several  of  the  Indians  were 
hurt,  some  slain ;  but  though  more  than  a  thousand  arrows 
were  sped  from  their  bows  in  an  inconceivably  short  space 
of  time,  none  of  the  English  were  hurt.  The  targets  of 
the  Massawomeks  were  found  eminently  useful  for  their 
protection.  But  for  the  timely  employment  of  these  they 
might  have  been  far  less  fortunate. 

These  targets  are  described  as  "  made  of  little  smaP 
sticks  woven  betwixt  strings  of  their  hempe  and  silke 
grasse,  as  is  our  cloth,  but  so  firmly  that  no  arrow  can 
pierce  them."  The  canoes  and  arrows  captured  in  this 
conflict  were  reserved  for  Mosco  and  the  Moraughtacunds 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

by  whom  the  return  of  the  English  was  hailed  with  a 
trumpet.  The  targets  of  the  Massawomeks  had  served 
such  an  admirable  purpose,  that  Smith  fastened  them 
around  the  sides  of  the  barge,  so  that  they  might  afford  a 
permanent  protection  in  like  dangers  hereafter.  The  con 
ception  was  a  fortunate  one.  The  very  next  day,  in  their 
progress  up  the  river,  Mosco  being  at  his  own  request  one 
of  their  company,  they  passed  an  ambush  of  thirty  or 
forty  Rappahannocks,  who,  taking  advantage  of  the  shelter 
of  a  marsh,  at  a  spot  where  the  river  was  particularly 
narrow,  "  had  so  accommodated  themselves  with  branches 
as  we  tooke  them  for  little  brushes  growing  among  the 
sedge."  The  arrows  flew  from  invisible  hands  against 
the  Massawomek  targets,  and  but  for  Mosco  our  English 
would  have  been  at  a  loss  to  guess  whence  they  issued. 
Hiding  his  favorite  whiskers  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  he 
told  them  where  to  look  for  their  subtle  enemies,  who 
were  again  the  Rappahannocks.  With  the  discharge  of 
the  first  volley  from  the  barge,  the  green  bushes  fell  down 
among  the  sedge,  and  the  ambush  disappeared.  "  When 
we  were  neare  halfe  a  myle  from  them  they  showed 
themselves,  dancing  and  singing  very  merrily." 

They  met  with  nothing  but  kind  treatment  from  the 
several  tribes  whom  they  encountered  in  their  farther 
progress  up  the  river.  But  their  company  was  lessened 
by  the  death  of  Richard  Featherstone,  who  sunk  under 
the  fever  of  the  climate.  He  wras  buried,  with  a  volley 
of  shot,  on  the  shores  of  a  small  bay,  which  was  called  by 
his  name.  Smith  speaks  of  him  as  a  worthy  person,  who 
had  behaved  himself  "  honestly,  valiantly,  and  industri 
ously,"  while  he  had  been  in  the  country.  The  other 
members  of  the  expedition,  who  had  been  taken  sick  after 
leaving  Kecoughtan,  had  all  recovered  their  health.  The 
toil,  exposure,  and  trouble  of  such  an  enterprise  as  that 


216  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

in  which  they  were  engaged  at  the  hottest  season  of  th( 
year,  in  a  close  vessel,  would  seem  to  be  unfavorable  t( 
the  convalescence  of  the  sufferer,  or  even  to  the  continu 
ance  in  health  of  those  not  sick  ;  but  they  suffered  fa: 
less  from  disease  than  those  who  remained  at  Jamestown 
— as  probably  would  always  be  the  advantage  of  those  wh( 
lead  an  active  life,  over  those,  who  indulge  in  one  of  indo 
lence. 

There  was  no  indolence  where  Smith  had  command 
The  next  day,  urging  their  boat  as  far  up  the  river  as  th< 
stream  would  carry  it,  he  went  ashore,  set  up  crosses 
and  cut  their  names  upon  the  trees.  While  thus  engagec 
the  sentinel  was  astonished  by  an  arrow  falling  besid< 
him.  Yet  where  a  savage  could  hide  himself  they  knev 
not,  for  an  hour  had  been  spent  in  examining  the  spot 
groping  in  the  earth,  gathering  herbs  and  stores,  and  seek 
ing  for  springs  of  sweet  water,  But  instantly  taking  th< 
alarm,  they  found  themselves  assailed  by  no  less  than  ; 
hundred  savages,  who,  skipping  nimbly  from  tree  to  tree 
kept  up  an  incessant  flight  of  arrows.  The  assailant: 
were  too  timid,  and  shot  too  wildly  to  do  much  injury 
and,  after  a  skirmish  of  half  an  hour,  they  disappeared  a: 
suddenly  as  they  came.  Mosco  played  the  hero  on  thii 
occasion,  emptying  his  quiver,  flying  to  the  boat  for  fresl 
supplies,  and  gallantly  leading  off  the  pursuit  against  th< 
fugitives.  But  it  was  writh  some  difficultv  that  he  couh 

O  ^ 

be  kept  from  playing  *he  savage  also ;  for,  coming  upoi 
one  of  their  enemies  who  had  been  wounded  by  a  muske 
bullet  in  the  knee,  "  never  was  dog  more  furious  agains 
a  beare,  than  Mosco  was  to  'have  beate  out  his  braines.' 
This  was  not  approved  of,  as  scarcely  a  Christian  process 
The  wounded  savage  was  dressed  by  the  surgeon  of  th< 
English,  and  so  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  give  an  accoun 
of  himself  and  people.  He  belonged  to  the  Hassinninga 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMTTH.  217 

was  a  brother  of  the  chief  of  that  tribe,  which,  with  three 
others,  made  up  the  nation  of  Mannahock.  He  had  heard 
that  the  English  were  a  people  come  from  under  the 
world  to  take  their  world  from  them.  Some  of  this  was 
certainly  true,  and  possibly  the  whole.  When  asked  how 
many  worlds  there  were,  he  answered  that  he  knew  of 
none  but  that  which  lay  under  the  sky  above  them,  of 
which  he  had  been  taught  to  believe  that  the  Powhatan- 
ese,  the  Monacans,  and  the  Massawomeks,  were  the  sole 
inhabitants.  The  Monacans,  he  said,  were  the  neighbors 
and  friends  of  his  people.  They  dwelt  in  hilly  countries,  on 
the  banks  of  small  rivers,  and  lived  upon  roots  and  fruits, 
but  chiefly  by  hunting.  The  Massawomeks  dwelt  upon  a 
great  water,  had  many  boats,  and  so  many  men  that  they 
made  war  with  all  the  world.  When  asked  what  was 
beyond  the  mountains,  he  replied,  "  The  sun  !"  Other 
questions  of  the  sort  he  answered  in  like  manner.  It  was 
evident  he  knew  little  of  such  unimportant  matters.  This 
prisoner  was  named  Amoroleck — not  a  bad  name  for  a 
romantic  story  of  the  school  of  Chateaubriand.  They  per 
suaded  him  to  go  with  them,  rather  than  kept  him  ;  though 
he  earnestly  desired  them  to  remain  where  they  were,  that 
they  might  make,  on  better  terms  than  before,  the  acquaint 
ance  of  his  people. 

But  all  this  was  opposed  by  Mosco.  He  was  impatient 
of  the  dialogue,  which  to  his  ears  was  no  doubt  tedious 
Bat  he  better  knew  the  savage  nature  than  the  English, 
and  warned  them  that  their  delay  would  endanger  their 
safety.  He  described  the  Mannahocks  as  a  naughty  race, 
as  troublesome  and  treacherous  as  the  Ilappahannocks. 
Still,  they  lingered  until  night;  then  embarked,  and  look 
their  way  down  the  river.  It  was  not  long  before-  iht 
arrows  of  the  Indians  were  heard  rattling  upon  the  Massa- 
v  <>m-k  shields,  and  dropping  into  the  barge.  The  stream 


218  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

was  narrow,  the  land  on  one  side  high,  and  but  for  the 
darkness,  our  English  might  have  suffered  seriously  from 
this  mode  of  assault.  It  was  in  vain  that  Amoroleck 
called  to  his  countrymen.  The  yells  of  the  assailants 
silenced  all  other  sounds,  except  that  of  the  musket,  which 
every  now  and  then  Smith  caused  to  be  discharged  against 
the  quarter  whence  the  clamor  rose  most  loudly.  So 
tenacious  were  they  of  the  conflict,  that  they  followed  the 
course  of  the  boat  in  this  manner  for  nearly  twelve  miles. 
By  daylight  the  English,  emerging  into  a  spacious  bay, 
dropped  anchor,  and  fell  to  breakfast,  being  only  then  out 
of  arrow-shot.  The  savages,  four  or  five  hundred  in  num- 

O         / 

her,  crowded  the  banks,  but  the  party  was  quite  too  hun 
gry  and  too  tired  to  notice  them  till  after  breakfast.  Then 
taking  down  their  shields,  they  showed  themselves  with 
their  prisoner,  between  whom  and  his  countrymen  follow 
ed  a  long  discourse.  This  led  to  a  proper  understanding 
between  the  parties.  The  Indians  hung  their  bows  and 
arrows  upon  the  trees,  while  two  of  them,  their  bowrs  and 
quivers  upon  their  heads,  swam  off  to  the  barge,  bringing 
these  as  tributes  and  in  proof  of  friendship.  Smith 
promptly  went  ashore,  and  bade  them  summon  their  kings. 
These  were  at  no  great  distance.  The  word  King,  as 
employed  by  our  author,  must  be  understood  in  the  sense 
of  chief.  The  chiefs  were  the  captains  of  tens,  and  hun 
dreds,  and  thousands,  and  led  the  several  war  parties  of 
the  nation  under  the  rule  of  sorm  one  great  master  like 
Powhatan. 

These  soon  made  their  appearance,  four  in  number, 
according  to  the  requisition  of  Smith.  They  received 
Amoroleck  at  his  hands  with  great  rejoicing.  They  ten 
dered  their  bows,  arrows,  tobacco-pipes,  and  pouches, 
refusing  nothing  that  was  demanded.  They,  in  turn; 
asked  for  nothing  but  the  pistoll  of  the  English,  which 


LIFE    OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  219 

they  took  to  be  pipes  of  a  highly  improved  fashion.  But, 
with  less  dangerous  commodities,  Smith  left  them  per 
fectly  happy  in  their  new  allies  ;  singing,  dancing,  and 
making  merry  as  they  went. 

The  victory  of  our  captain  over  the  Mannahocks,  and 
the  subsequent  pacification  with  them,  highly  delighted 
the  Moraughtacunds ;  who  were  a  feeble  race,  of  smaller 
persons,  and  fewer  numbers.  They  entreated  him  to 
endeavor  to  bring  the  Rappahannocks  to  their  senses  also ; 
a  benefit  in  which,  as  the  allies  of  the  English,  they  must 
necessarily  share.  Smith  needed  no  entreaties  to  this 
effect.  Though  by  no  means  wanton  in  the  exercise  of 
power,  by  no  means  blood-thirsty,  but,  indeed,  singularly 
indulgent  and  forbearing,  though  decisive  with  the  sava 
ges — he  yet  felt  the  necessity  of  making  his  power  res 
pected  by  all  the  tribes  in  the  neighborhood.  He  sum 
moned  the  Rappahannocks,  accordingly,  to  a  conference, 
at  which  several  of  the  Indian  kings  attended  ;  and  giving 
them  a  judicious  preliminary  hint  of  his  power  to  burn 
their  hamlet,  destroy  their  corn,  and  prove  in  other  res 
pects  a  very  troublesome  enemy  to  deal  with,  he  demand 
ed  that  they  should  bring  him — in  proof  of  friendship  and 
by  way  of  tribute — the  bow  and  arrows  of  their  king  ; 
should  leave  their  arms  on  coming  into  his  presence  ; 
make  a  treaty  of  peace  with  his  allies,  the  Moraughta 
cunds  ;  and  as  a  guaranty  for  the  faithful  keeping  of  these 
pledges,  bring  him  the  son  of  the  king  as  a  hostage. 
Rappahannock — for  the  name  of  the  people  seems  to  have 
been  that  of  the  king — objected  to  the  last  condition.  He 
had  but  one  son  and  could  not  live  without  him  ;  but  in 
lieu  of  the  son,  he  was  not  unwilling  to  give  up  to  the 
Moraughtacunds  certain  women  of  his  whom  the  latter 
had  stolen— a  proceeding  which  had  been  at  the  bottom 


220  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

of  their  recent  wars      Our  Captain  was  indulgent,  and 
readily  accepted  the  substitute. 

Having  returned  to  Moraughtacund,  he  had  the  three 
women  brought  before  him,  and  put  a  chain  of  beads  upon 
the  neck  of  each.  Then  calling  up  the  king  Rappahan- 
nock,  he  bade  him  choose  her  whom  he  most  desired  ;  the 
second  choice  was  accorded  to  the  king  of  the  Moraugh- 
tacunds,  and  the  thii;d  woman  was  allotted  to  Mosco  with 
the  whiskers,  the  suspected  Frenchman.  The  parties 
were  all  apparently  well  satisfied  with  this  mode  of  dis 
tribution.  The  proceedings  finished  only  with  the  night. 
The  next  day  the  people  of  both  the  tribes,  or  nations,  tc 
the  number  of  six  or  seven  hundred,  assembled  to  cele 
brate  the  triple  peace  which  had  thus  been  established  by 
means  of  the  stranger.  Not  a  bow  nor  arrow  was  to  be 
seen  amongst  them  :  all  the  shows  and  images  of  war 
were  studiously  kept  from  sight.  They  pledged  them 
selves  to  perpetual  friendship  with  the  English  ;  volun 
teered  to  plant  corn  for  them  ,  and  were  delighted  with  the 
promise  that,  in  return,  they  should  receive  ample  sup 
plies  of  hatchets,  beads,  and  copper.  Mosco,  whom 
these  proceedings  had  greatly  distinguished,  in  the  heat 
of  his  exultation,  repudiated  that  inexpressive  name,  and 
adopted  that  of  Ullasantough,  which,  in  his  dialect,  sig 
nifies  "  stranger  ;"  and  the  supposed  son  of  the  French 
man  became  the  subject  of  the  English  Solomon.* 

From  the  Rappahannocks  our  Captain  steered  his  ves 
sel  to  the  Piankatank,  which  he  explored  as  far  as  it  was 
navigable.  This  river  seems  to  have  been  sparsely  set 
tled.  Smith  describes  it  as  being  able  to  bring  into  the 
field  but  fifty  or  sixty  serviceable  men.  At  the  period  of 
his  visit,  however,  the  people  were  mostly  absent  on  a 

•  King  James  the  First  , 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  221 

hunt.  He  saw  but  a  few  old  men,  women,  and  children, 
in  the  cornfields,  from  whom  he  obtained  a  promise  of 
supply  whenever  he  should  come  for  it. 

He  now  took  his  way  home  ;  and  on  his  returning  pro 
gress  was  destined  to  encounter  a  more  narrow  peril  than 
any  he  had  yet  escaped  on  the  expedition.  While  in  the 
direction  of  Point  Comfort,  he  anchored  in  a  bay  called 
Gosnolds,  a  little  to  the  south  of  York  River.  Here,  in 
*n  instant,  a  sudden  gust  changed  a  fair  calm  sky  into  one 
af  night  and  tempest.  So  terrible  was  the  storm,  with 
rain  and  thunder,  that  our  Captain  confesses  for  the  party 
they  never  more  expected  to  see  Jamestown.  Running 
before  the  wind,  they  could  sometimes  see  the  land  by 
the  fiery  flashes  from  heaven ;  and  by  this  light  only  were 
they  saved  from  splitting  upon  the  shores,  and  finally  con 
ducted — the  storm  and  blackness  still  prevailing — in  find 
ing  their  way  to  Point  Comfort.  Verily,  it  deserved  the 
name  in  the  regards  of  our  voyagers.  There>  having 
refreshed  themselves,  and  the  skies  becoming  clear,  they 
once  more  set  out,  resolved  to  finish  their  adventures  by 
visiting  the  Chesapeakes  and  Nasemonds — tribes  of 
which  they  had  only  heard,  but  which,  as  among  their 
near  neighbors,  it  was  deemed  more  proper  they  should 
know  than  those  which  were  more  remote.  Steering  for 
the  southern  shore,  they  penetrated  the  river  now  called  the 
Elizabeth,  upon  which  the  town  of  Norfolk  now  stands, 
and  sailed  some  six  or  seven  miles  into  the  territories  of 
the  Chesapeake.  But  they  saw  none  of  the  inhabitants  ; 
nothing  more  imposing  than  a  few  houses  and  garden- 
plots,  and  forests,  "  overgrowne  with  the  greatest  Pyne 
and  Firre  trees  we  ever  saw  in  the  country."  Returning 
to  the  main  stream,  they  coasted  the  shores  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Nansemond,  where  they  came  upon  half  a  dozen 
savages  mending  their  fish-traps.  These  fled  at  sight  of 
lo 


222  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

the  strangers.  The  English  landed  and  left  some  trifles, 
as  a  peace-offering,  where  the  Indians  had  been  working. 
They  had  not  gone  far,  when  the  Indians  returned,  found 
the  toys,  and  with  great  gladness  and  good  humor  invited 
the  strangers  to  come  back.  They  did  so,  and  thus  began 
an  intimacy  which  ended  in  our  voyagers  turning  their 
prow  into  the  river,  which  they  penetrated  some  seven  or 
eight  miles,  the  Indians  keeping  pace  along  the  shore  with 
the  progress  of  the  vessel.  One  of  the  savages  freely 
entered  the  boat,  and  the  rest  made  an  abundant  display 
of  good  feeling.  The  sight  of  large  cornfields  on  the 
western  shore  rewarded  our  explorers  with  the  prospect 
and  promise  everywhere  of  great  plenty  of  provisions. 
Their  Indian  companion  invited  them  to  his  habitation  on 
a  little  islet  in  the  river,  where  they  saw  his  wife  and 
children,  to  whom  they  gave  such  presents  as  greatly  con 
tented  them.  Thus  far  all  things  looked  smilingly  enough. 
But  when  their  companion  had  left  them,  and  they  had 
left  his  islet,  and  in  a  farther  progress  up  the  stream,  they 
found  it  became  exceedingly  narrow,  things  began  to  look 
suspiciously,  and  our  voyagers  prepared  for  the  worst. 
They  soon  found  themselves  followed  by  seven  or  eight 
armed  canoes,  full  of  people,  and  this  discovery  was  fol 
lowed  by  flights  of  arrows  from  the  shores  on  each  sidy 
of  the  river,  as  rapidly  shot  as  two  hundred  practised  bow 
men  could  send  them.  The  canoes  opened  upon  our 
English  at  the  same  moment.  Smith  addressed  most  of 
his  muskets  to  the  assailants  on  the  river.  It  was  more 
immediately  necessary  to  remove  them  from  his  path.  A 
volley  soon  drove  them  from  their  canoes — most  of  them 
taking  to  the  water  and  swimming  to  the  shore.  A  few 
shot  forced  those  upon  the  banks  into  the  cover  of  the 
woods,  and  the  English  took  possession  of  the  canoes 
'vliich  tney  had  abandoned.  These  they  drew  with  them 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  ,   223 

down  the  river,  where  it  was  sufficiently  wide  to  put  them 
out  of  reach  of  arrow-shot.  Here  they  proceeded  to  cut 
the  captured  canoes  to  pieces  ;  at  sight  of  which  the 
Indians — supposed  to  be  the  Chesapeakes  and  Nansemonds 
together — by  whom  the  shores  were  crowded,  threw  down 
their  weapons,  making  signs  of  peace  and  entreaty.  To 
this  our  Captain  had  no  objections.  But  he  had  condi 
tions.  He  required  the  bow  and  arrows  of  their  king,  a 
chain  of  pearls,  and  four  hundred  full  bushels  of  corn  ;  and 
upon  their  rejection  of  these  conditions,  he  threatened  not 
only  the  destruction  of  their  canoes,  but  of  all  their  houses 
and  possessions.  Their  compliance  was  prompt.  "Away 
went  their  bows  and  arrowes,  and  tagge  and  ragge  came 
with  their  baskets."  The  English  took  as  much  as  they 
could  carry.  They  had  suffered  no  injury  in  the  contest, 
thanks  to  the  targets  of  the  Massawomeks.  These  were 
pierced  by  more  than  one  hundred  arrows.  Parting  with 
these  cunning  savages  on  friendly  terms,  our  Captain  now 
made  his  way  to  Jamestown,  which  he  reached  on  the 
7th  of  September,  having  been  more  than  six  weeks 
absent. 

In  these  two  voyages  he  had  explored  the  whole  Bay 
of  Chesapeake  ;  an  excellent  map  of  which  he  construct 
ed,  which  still  remains  to  us.  Upon  his  own  computa 
tion  he  had  traversed  more  than  three  thousand  miles 
He  had  incurred  a  thousand  perils,  and  passed  through 
them  all  in  safety  ;  had  suffered  with  his  men  a  thousand 
hardships  and  privations,  which  were  all  endured  with 
patient  courage  and  uncomplaining  fortitude.  We  must 
not  undervalue  these  expeditions  because  they  are  asso 
ciated  with  no  event  of  singular  magnitude  ;  the  slaughtei 
of  no  multitudes,  and  the  sacking  of  no  glorious  city.  In 
the  absence  of  all  those  startling  catastrophes,  which  tow 
much  make  and  characterize  the  renown  of  conquerors 


224  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

the  achievements  of  our  hero,  on  these  occasions,  were 
not  less  remarkable.  By  none  but  a  very  remarkable 
man  could  they  possibly  have  been  done.  No  disaster 
marks  his  progress.  He  sheds  no  unnecessary  blood  ; 
but  wins  his  followers  along  through  all  difficulties,  among 
a  barbarous  people,  neither  vexing  or  fatiguing  the  one, 
nor  provoking  the  hate  and  jealousy  of  the  other.  The 
vulgar  captain,  conscious  of  the  superiority  of  his  muskets 
over  the  naked  savages,  would  have  tracked  his  way 
in  slaughter.  As  prompt  in  danger  as  the  bravest,  Smith 
rather  draws  off  from  the  strife,  and  folds  his  arms  until 
he  finds  conflict  unavoidable.  He  prefers  the  milder 
course  of  treaty  and  expostulation,  and  gives  the  ignorant 
natives  time  to  discover  for  themselves  the  superior  power 
which  he  possesses.  His  courage  and  moderation — the 
skill  and  ingenuity  with  which  he  works  himself  into  the 
confidence  of  the  simple  Indians — the  good  nature  with 
which  he  smiles  upon  and  sanctions  their  sports — the 
curiosity  with  which  he  listens  to  their  histories,  and 
studies  their  character — and  the  felicity  and  great  correct 
ness  with  which  he  notes  all  their  peculiarities — these 
proofs  alone  of  the  great  strength  of  his  natural  judgment 
and  genius,  and  the  extent  of  his  experience  and  resources, 
shown  on  this  single  progress,  should  sufficiently  entitle 
him  to  rank  among  the  distinguished  men  of  modern 
times.  No  man  was  ever  more  successful  with  the 
Indians.  He  admirably  understood  their  character,  and 
treated  it  with  equal  firmness  and  forbearance.  To  deal 
with  them,  as  writh  his  own  followers,  required  the  hap 
piest  discretion.  The  latter,  sick  and  suffering,  strangers 
in  a  strange  land  ;  sometimes  refractory  and  unwilling, 
and  always  inferior  to  himself  in  ability  and  spirit ;  requir 
ed  equally  to  be  subdued  and  soothed  ;  to  be  restrained 
and  goaded  ;  to  be  upheld  by  his  courage,  and  stimulated 


LIFE   OF   CAPTAIN  SMITH.        225 

by  his  enterprise.  The  successful  termination  of  the 
adventure  is  in  proof  of  the  excellence  of  his  manage 
ment  ;  while  the  details  of  his  daily  progress  sufficiently 
show  that  this  success  was  due,  not  to  mere  luck  or  blind 
fortune,  but  to  the  admirably  executive  mind  by  which 
the  whole  progress  was  conceived  and  counselled 


CHAPTER     /L 

THE  return  of  Smith  to  the  colony  was  always  seasonable. 
The  withdrawal  of  his  stern  authority  and  undiscriminat- 
ing  justice,  was  always  sure  to  result  in  evil.  Nothing 
had  been  done  in  his  absence.  The  crop  haJ  been  gather- 
d  by  the  diligence  of  Scrivener,  but  the  provisions  in 
store  had  been  suffered  to  spoil  with  rain.  Captain  Rat- 
cliffe,  the  late  President,  had  not  borne  with  becoming 
meekness  his  exclusion  from  office,  and  was  now  laid  up 
for  mutiny.  The  summer  had  been  a  sickly  one.  Most 
had  been  sick,  many  had  recovered,  some  were  still  sick, 
and  many  were  dead.  Nothing  had  been  done,  except  by 
the  small  party  under  Smith. 

Three  days  after  his  return  he  was  elected  to  the  Presi 
dency,  having  received  the  letters  patent  from  the  coun 
cil.  He  had  hitherto  refused  this  office,  in  the  teeth  of 
frequent  importunacy  on  the  part  of  his  friends.  He  could 
refuse  it  no  longer.  His  authority  was  no  less  necessary 
to  the  success  of  the  settlement  than  his  courage  and 
enterprise.  This  conviction  being  forced  upon  him  by  a 
succession  of  proofs,  Smith  entered  upon  his  duties  with 
becoming  resolution.  The  church  and  storehouse  were 
repaired  ;  new  buildings  raised  for  the  supplies  momently 
expected  from  England  ;  the  fort  strengthened  and  altered 
into  "  a  five  square  forme  ;"  the  watch  renewed  ;  and  the 
whole  company  was  drawn  out  every  Saturday  and  drilled 
in  military  exercises,  "  in  the  plane  by  the  west  bul- 
warke,"  which  was  prepared  for  that  purpose,  and  called 
Smithfield.  On  such  occasions  the  Indians  would  gather 


LIFE    OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  227 

around  in  great  numbers  to  witness  the  display,  standing 
"  in  amazement  to  behold  how  a  fyle  would  batter  a  tree." 
Nor  did  Smith  confine  his  regards  wholly  to  the  strength 
ening  and  improving  of  the  immediate  settlement.  He 
repaired  his  boats,  and  sent  forth  a  trading  party  under 
Lieutenant  Percy,  with  instructions  to  seek  the  country 
of  the  Monacans.  But  Percy  had  not  gone  far  before  he 
met  Captain  Newport,  just  from  England,  with  fresh  sup 
plies,  and  came  back  with  him  to  the  fort.  Newport 
brought  with  him  about  seventy  individuals ;  two  of 
whom,  Captain  Richard  Waldo,  and  Captain  Wynne,  u  two 
ancient  souldiers,  and  valiant  gentlemen,  but  yet  ignorant 
of  the  businis,"  were  appointed  members  of  the  council. 
In  this  ship  came  also  the  first  Englishwomen  that  ever 
were  in  Virginia,  Mrs.  Forrest,  and  Anne  Burras,  her 
maid.  A  few  more  women  had  been  a  more  judicious 
contribution  to  the  wants  of  the  colony  than  some  that 
were  made.  But  the  Company  were  unwisely  counselled, 
and  the  new  supply,  instead  of  bringing  with  it  comfort  to 
our  Captain,  brought  with  it  little  else  than  annoyance 
The  instructions  given  to  Captain  Newport  were  of  a  son 
to  offend  the  common  sense  of  any  man  having  the  expe 
rience  and  the  knowledge  of  Smith.  They  betrayed  a 
singular  degree  of  ignorance  as  to  the  nature  of  the  defi 
ciencies,  the  feebleness,  and  the  true  wants  of  such  a 
colony.  A  special  commission  was  confided  to  him, 
authorizing  him,  in  certain  circumstances,  to  act  inde 
pendently  of  the  council  in  Virginia.  By  this  commission 
he  was  instructed  not  to  return  without  a  lump  of  gold,  a 
certainty  of  the  South  Sea,  or  one  of  the  lost  company 
sent  out  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh.*  Requisitions,  a  rigid 

*  The  lost  colony  of  Captain  White,  which  had  been  left  on  the 
island  of  Roanoke,  had  disappeared,  leaving  10  traces,  and  was 
piobably  cut  off  by  the  Indians. 


228  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

endeavor  to  comply  with  which  might  hav^  kept,  the 
worthy  mariner  going  to  and  fro  through  the  territories 
of  Powhatan  to  the  present  day.  These  instructions  were 
probably  of  his  own  head.  He  had  obtained  the  ear  of 
the  Company  in  England,  and  originated  all  these  inven 
tions.  We  have  heard  and  seen  something  of  this  per 
son  before,  in  his  visit  to  Powhatan.  He  is  described, 
and  seemingly  with  great  justice,  as  an  empty,  idle,  and 
selfish  adventurer  ;  very  great  in  his  own  conceit,  and 
swelling  in  his  talk  at  ordinary  seasons,  but  timorous  and 
suspicious  in  moments  of  danger,  and  totally  unequal  to  its 
exigencies.  "  How  or  why  Captaine  Newport  obtained 
such  private  commission,  as  not  to  returne  without  a 
lumpe  of  gold,  a  certaintie  of  the  South  Sea,  or  one  of 
the  lost  companie  sent  out  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  I  know 
not ;  nor  why  he  brought  such  a  five  peeced  Barge,  not 
to  beare  us  to  that  South  Sea,  till  we  had  borne  her  over 
the  mountaines,  which  how  farre  they  extend  is  yet  unknowne." 
Such,  indeed,  had  been  one  of  the  ridiculous  projects  of 
Newport  and  the  Company,  the  absurdity  of  which  our 
Captain  exposes  in  a  single  sentence.  A  barge  had  been 
actually  constructed  and  sent  out  in  pieces  from  England, 
to  be  carried  upon  men's  shoulders  over  the  mountains  of 
Virginia,  to  the  waters  of  the  South  Sea.  The  idea  was 
taken  from  the  proceedings  of  Cortes,  in  manufacturing 
his  brigantines  at  Tlascala,  and  sending  them  on  the  backs 
of  tamanes  to  the  Mexican  lakes.  But  Cortes,  before  he 
did  so,  knew  where  to  seek  for  his  lakes,  and  just  how  far 
they  were  distant  from  his  brigantines.  But  our  Virginia 
Company  knew  no  mv  re  of  the  space  between  the  domi 
nions  of  Powhatan  and  the  South  Sea,  than  they  did  of  the 
mountains  in  the  moon.  This  was  not  the  only  absurdity 
Some  score  of  foreigners,  Poles  and  Dutchmen,  were  sent 
out  on  wages,  for  the  purpose  of  manufacturing  pitcha  tar, 


LIFE   OF   CAPTAIN  SMITH.        229 

glass,  milles,  and  soap-ashes  ; — objects,  says  Smith,  which, 
"  when  the  country  is  replenished  with  people  and  neces 
saries,  would  have  done  well,,  but  to  send  them  and  sea- 
ventie  more,  without  victualls,  to  worke,  was  not  so  well 
advised  nor  considered  of  as  it  should  have  beene."  The 
folly  of  the  company  and  their  adviser  did  not  stop  here  ; 
and  the  next  proceeding  of  which  Smith  justly  complains 
was  one  likely  to  be  productive  of  a  great  deal  of  mis 
chief,  as  tending  to  elevate  the  self-esteem  of  those  very 
persons  who  were  already  proud  enough,  and  whom  it 
was  the  English  policy  to  make  subordinate.  Certain 
expensive  presents  were  sent  out  for  Powhatan,  and  orders 
were  issued  for  his  formal  coronation  as  a  Prince,  after 
the  European  fashion.  This  was  a  mischievous,  as  well 
as  ridiculous  mummery,  and  vexed  the  good  sense  and 
solid  understanding  of  our  hero.  "  As  for  the  coronation 
of  Powhatan,"  says  he,  "  and  his  presents  of  bason  and 
ewer,  bed,  bedstead,  clothes,  and*  such  costly  novelties, 
they  had  much  better  well  spared  than  so  ill  spent,  for 
wee  had  his  favour  much  better  onely  for  a  playne  peece 
of  copper,  till  this  stately  kind  of  soliciting  made  him  so 
much  overvalue  himselfe,  that  he  respected  us  as  much  as 
nothing  at  all." 

But  Newport  had  his  commission  and  his  crown,  and 
the  coronation  and  all  other  follies  were  to  be  achieved  or 
attempted.  He  accordingly  summoned  the  council  toge 
ther,  and  unfolded  his  powers  and  his  schemes  together. 
It  is  needless  to  say  that  Smith  opposed  them  as  equally 
unwise  and  impracticable.  He  urged  his  views  of  the 
impolicy  of  all  these  projects  with  his  wonted  force  and 
earnestness.  His  objections  have  already  in  part  been 
given.  There  were  others  which  he  urged  before  the 
council.  It  was  sufficiently  hard,  he  argued,  to  feed  twc 
hundred  additional  mouths,  with  the  provisions  obtained 


230  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

with  difficulty  for  one  hundred  and  thirty  only  ;  but  even 
this  was  comparatively  a  small  objection  to  that  which 
could  be  urged  against  the  great  loss  of  time  consumed  in 
these  idle  performances.  "  For  wee  had  the  salvages  in 
that  decorum  (their  harvest  being  newly  gathered)  that  wee 
feared  not  to  get  victuals  for  500.  Now  was  there  no 
way  to  make  us  miserable,"  he  asks,  "  but  to  neglect  that 
time  to  make  provision  whilst  it  was  to  be  had,  the  which 
was  done  by  the  direction  from  England,  to  performe  this 
strange  discovery,  but  a  more  strange  coronation,  to  loose 
that  time,  spend  what  victualls  wee  had,  tyre  and  starve 
our  men,  having  no  meanes  to  carry  victuals,  munition,  the 
hurt  or  sicke,  but  on  their  own  backs  ?" 

But  the  arguments  of  Smith  were  unavailing  The 
majority  of  the  council  were  against  him.  Scrivener  him 
self  desired  to  see  new  countries  ;  Waldo  and  Wynne,  the 
newly  arrived,  were  anxious  to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  the 
Company  in  England  ;  and  even  Ratcliffe,  who  had  been 
laid  by  the  heels  for  mutiny,  was  permitted  to  have  a 
voice  on  the  occasion,  which  was  naturally  adverse  to  the 
suggestions  of  Smith.  Captain  Newport,  whom  our  Cap 
tain  charged  with  the  conception  of  all  these  projects,  "  so 
guilded  men's  hopes  with  great  promises,"  that  his  reso 
lutions  were  adopted.  Smith,  in  language  almost  borrow 
ed  from  divine  lips,  exclaims  mournfully,  "  God  doth 
know  they  little  knew  what  they  did,  nor  understood  theii 
owne  estates,"  to  a  lopt  his  conclusions.  To  Smith's 
objections  about  wasue  of  time  and  lack  of  provisions, 
Newport  pledged  himself  to  freight  the  pinnace  with 
twenty  tons  of  corn  while  going  on  and  returning  from 
his  discovery,  and  to  procure  a  similar  supply  from  Pow- 
hatan  at  Werowocomoco.  He  promised  also  to  divide 
with  them  the  ship's  stores  ;  and  when  Smith  shook  his 
head  with  doubt  at  these  fair  promises,  he  meanly  insinu- 


LIFE  OF  CAPTAIN  SMITH.        231 

ated  that  the  opposition  of  our  Captain  arose  only  from  a 
selfish  wish  to  undertake  the  adventure  himself  to  the 
exclusion  of  others  ;  and,  seizing  upon  an  old  charge 
which  had  been  made  against  him  in  the  time  of  Captain 
Martin,  said  that  nothing,  indeed,  could  prevent  the  suc 
cess  of  the  expedition  but  the  desire  of  the  savages  to 
revenge  the  cruelties  which  Smith  had  practised  upon 
them.  To  this  the  answer  of  our  Captain  was  sufficiently 
conclusive  ;  not  only  as  showing  his  innocence  of  this 
charge  in  particular,  but  to  prove  that  he  was  in  every 
respect  willing  to  facilitate  the  enterprise,  the  moment  it 
was  fully  resolved  upon.  He  was  not  the  man  to  throw 
any  obstacles  in  the  way  of  a  scheme,  which  he  yet  felt 
himself  compelled  to  disapprove ;  and  exhibited  none  of 
that  sullen  inactivity,  by  which  inferior  men  passively 
retard  what  they  can  no  longer  actively  oppose.  He 
volunteered  to  visit  Powhatan  with  only  four  companions 
— "  where  Newport  durst  not  goe  with  less  than  120" — 
to  entreat  the  Indian  monarch  to  come  to  Jamestown  to 
receive  his  presents,  and  undergo  the  ceremonial  of  coro 
nation.  His  offer  was  accepted.  The  small  party  went 
over  land  to  Werowocomoco,  but  Powhatan  was  some 
thirty  miles  distant.  He  was  immediately  sent  for,  and 
Pocahontas,  in  the  meantime,  undertook  to  entertain  the 
guests  of  her  father. 

She  did  this  after  a  fashion  of  her  own,  and  which, for  a 
moment, proved  rather  startling  to  some  of  the  English. 
Conducting  the  party  to  a  "  fayre  plaine"  in  the  woods, 
they  were  placed  upon  mats  around  a  fire.  This  done, 
Pocahontas  disappeared,  and  suddenly  a  hideous  shrieking 
arose  from  the  woods,  which  caused  the  party  to  leap 
to  their  feet,  prepare  their  weapons,  and  seize  upon  two  or 
three  old  men  who  had  remained  with  them  as  securities 
for  their  safety.  They  looked  morr  ently  to  see  Powhatan 


232  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

and  all  his  power  emerge  from  the  woods  upon  them.  In 
place  of  these,  however,  Pocahontas  showed  herself,  to 
reassure  them.  She  was  gieatly  discomposed  that  her 
sports,  innocently  meant,  should  have  caused  alarm,  and 
placing  herself  among  the  English,  she  bade  them  kill 
her  if  any  evil  was  intended.  Men,  women,  and  children, 
flocked  around  them  at  the  same  time,  to  confirm  the  assur 
ances  of  the  sweet  forest  damsel  whom  they  served.  Our 
Captain  was  soon  satisfied  that  there  was  nothing  to  be 
apprehended.  But  his  companions  were  mostly  fresh  from 
England, 'and  his  seizure  of  the  old  men  as  guaranties  and 
hostages  was  most  probably  an  act  meant  only  to  give 
them  confidence.  They  resumed  their  places  upon  the 
matting,  Pocahontas  placing  herself  among  them,  while 
a  pageant  after  a  primitive  fashion — a  masque,  shall  we 
call  it,  of  the  Powhatanese? — took  place,  sufficiently  new 
to  the  strangers,  but  one  which  did  not  greatly  delight 
their  tastes.  We  are  reminded,  as  we  read,  of  some  of 
the  orgies  of  nymphs  and  satyrs,  such  as  the  old  drama 
tists  used  to  exhibit  in  their  "  daintie  devises."  The 
scene  was  opened  by  the  appearance  from  the  woods  of 
thirty  young  damsels,  who,  clad  only  in  green  leaves, 
came  boldly  forth  as  from  the  hands  of  original  nature — 
with  the  single  exception,  that  where  their  skins  were 
visible  through  the  leaves  they  were  decorated  with  paints 
of  various  colors.  The  style  of  costume  in  each,  not  to 
fall  into  an  Hibernianism,  differed  from  that  of  her  com 
panions.  No  two  of  them  were  painted  alike.  "  Their 
leader  had  a  fayre  payre  of  buck's  homes  on  her  head, 
and  an  otter's  skinne  at  her  girdle,  and  another  at  her 
arme,  a  quiver  of  arrowes  at  her  backe,  and  a  bow  and 
arrowes  in  her  hand."  How  easy  to  fancy  this  the  Diana 
of  Werowocomoco  ?  Others  carried  other  implements 
and  ornaments,  all  of  which  may  have  been  emblematical, 


LIFE    OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH.  233 

but  all  were  alike  horned,  and,  to  our  English  companions, 
horrible.  The  language  in  which  our  author  speaks  of 
their  exhibition  smacks  of  the  puritan  rather  than  the 
gallant  or  the  adventurer.  He  calls  them  "  fiends,"  and 
describes  their  shrieks  and  shouts  as  "  hellish."  They 
darted  headlong  from  among  the  trees,  cast  themselves 
frantically  in  a  passionate  set  of  antics  about  the  fire,  and, 
according  to  our  narrator,  played  the  part  of  Bacchantes 
to  perfection.  In  such  maddening  manner  did  the  light- 
heeled  and  light-handed  damsels  of  Cyprus  hail  the  ascent 
and  approach  of  their  reeling  deity.  u  Singing  and  daunc- 
ing  with  most  excellent  ill  varietie,  oft  falling  into  their 
infernall  passions,  and  solemnly  againe  to  sing  and  daunce," 
they  consumed  about  an  hour  in  their  fantastic  exhibi 
tion,  then  disappeared  among  the  trees  as  suddenly  and 
strangely  as  they  had  entered.  But  this  scene  did  not 
end  the  "  Mascarado."  Having  invited  Smith  and  the 
rest  to  their  lodgings,  our  masquerading  dames  changed 
the  character  of  their  sports,  and  from  being  wild  and 
furious  before,  they  became  fender  and  solicitous.  But 
the  proceedings  in  the  latter  were  not  more  grateful  than 
in  the  former  character,  and  our  Captain  complains  that 
he  was  now  more  than  ever  tormented  by  their  fondling 
and  embraces.  They  hung  upon  him,  crowding  and  press 
ing,  as  do  the  nymphs  who  would  tempt  Robert  le  Diable 
in  the  opera,  crying  out — "  most  tediously,"  says  our 
hero — "  Love  you  not  me  ?  Love  you  not  me  ?" 

Poor  Pocahontas  !  little  did  she  fancy  that  her  primitive 
forest  fancy  would  have  had  so  unpleasing  effect  upon  her 
English  favorites.  Whether  our  courtly  Captain  allowed 
her  to  see  or  to  suspect  his  own,  and  the  annoyance  of  his 
companions,  is  not  stated.  At  all  events,  she  continued 
her  efforts,  in  the  absence  of  her  father,  to  amuse  and 
to  delight  her  guests.  The  masque  being  over,  the 


234  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

feast  was  set — "  consisting  of  all  the  salvage  da  nties  they 
could  devise  :  some  attending,  others  singing  and  dauncing 
about  them,1' — the  whole  mirth  and  festival  being  ended 
by  their  seizing  upon  blazing  firebrands,  and  conducting 
them,  in  a  sort  of  royal  state,  to  the  lodgings  which  had 
been  prepared  for  them.  The  scene,  making  allowances 
for  the  ruder  tastes  of  a  savage  people,  was  perfectly 
feminine,  and  is  not  without  its  sweetness  and  its  charm. 
A  little  subdued  by  the  hand  of  art,  the  poet  may  yet 
weave  it  into  some  lovely  native  fabric.  Pocahontas  does 
not  appear  to  have  engaged  in  this  frolic,  except  to  com 
mand  it,  and  she  commanded  only  such  pranks  as  they 
were  no  doubt  accustomed  to  practise  in  the  presence  of 
their  noblest  guests. 

Powhatan  made  his  appearance  the  next  morning,  and 
Smith  apprised  him  of  the  presents  and  the  honors  that 
awaited  him  at  Jamestown,  desiring  him  to  return  with 
him,  and  receive  them  at  the  hands  of  Father  Newport. 
The  answer  of  Powhatan  was  becoming  equally  the  mon 
arch  and  the  man.  It  betrayed  also  something  of  the 
sagacity  of  the  politician.  A  natural  and  proper  caution 
was  no  doubt  busy  with  the  self-esteem  and  pride  of  cha 
racter  of  the  haughty  savage,  in  prompting  his  reply. 

"  If,"  said  he,  "  your  king  has  sent  me  presents,  I  also 
am  a  king,  and  this  is  my  land.  Eight  days  will  I  stay  to 
receive  them.  Your  father  is  to  come  to  me,  not  I  to 
him,  nor  yet  to  your  fort.  I  will  not  bite  at  such  a 
bait." 

To  some  suggestions  which  Smith  had  made,  touching 
a  concerted  operation  between  them  against  the  Monacans, 
and  in  respect  to  the  meditated  journey  over  the  mountains 
to  the  South  Sea,  he  answered  with  equal  decision  : 

"  As  for  the  Monacans,  I  can  revenge  my  own  injuries. 
As  for  Atquanachuck,  where  you  say  your  brother  was 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  235 

slain,  it  is  a  contrary  way  from  those  parts  you  suppose  it. 
For  any  salt  water  beyond  the  mountains,  the  relations 
you  have  had  from  my  people  are  false  !" 

Could  any  answer  from  any  monarch  have  been  more 
frank  and  manly,  and  characterized  by  more  dignity  of 
character  ?  To  illustrate  the  truth  of  his  disclaimer  on 
the  subject  of  the  salt  water  beyond  the  mountains,  he 
drew  upon  the  ground  a  rude  outline  of  the  countries  of 
which  himself  and  his  people  had  spoken.  He  was  by 
no  means  churlish  or  reserved,  though  decisive  in  his 
answers.  On  the  contrary,  the  discourse  between  the 
parties,  which  was  protracted,  was  marked  throughout  by 
courtesy  and  kindness  on  both  sides  ; — both  Smith  and 
Powhatan  being  pretty  equally  skilled  in  the  arts  of  diplo 
macy. 

The  arguments  of  our  Captain  failed  to  procure  any  but 
the  one  answer  from  the  Virginian  Emperor,  on  the  subject 
of  the  coronation  presents.  They  were  accordingly  sent 
by  water,  while  Smith  and  Newport,  with  an  escort  of 
fifty  men,  went  across  by  land  to  Werowocomoco.  Here 
Powhatan  awaited  them  in  all  his  state,  and  the  next  day 
was  appointed  for  the  performance  of  the  ceremony  which 
had  been  the  occasion  of  the  interview.  We  can  readily 
conceive  the  importance  which  such  a  man  as  New 
port  attached  to  these  proceedings,  and  with  what  state  the 
guards  were  arranged,  and  the  several  marshals  appointed 
to  their  places  ;  with  what  solemn  dignity -the  presents  were 
brought  forth;  the  bason  and  ewer,  the  bed  and  its  royal 
furniture  set  up,  and  the  scarlet  cloak,  apparel  and  crown, 
got  in  readiness  to  invest  the  tawny  limbs  and  forehead  of 
the  forest  chieftain.  Our  authorities  afford  us  but  few 
details,  but  these  give  a  sufficient  clue  to  the  imagination 
of  the  reader.  Powhatan  seemed  somewhat  suspicious  of 
these  presents.  The  bason  and  ewer  looked  innocent 


236  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

enough  ;  so  perhaps  did  the  bed  and  furniture  ;  but  the 
scarlet  cloak  had  something  in  its  aspect  which  he  did 
not  so  much  relish.  He  had  never  heard  of  the  fate  of 
Hercules,  but  he  evidently  had  some  notion  of  the  dangers 
which  might  accrue  from  wearing  the  cast  off  clothes  of 
Nessus  ;  and  it  required  all  the  assurances  of  Namontack, 
the  faithful  Indian  whom  he  had  entrusted  with  Newport 
to  visit  England,  and  who  had  just  returned,  to  persuade 
him  that  there  was  nothing  deadly  in  the  garment.  It  wras 
writh  much  ado  they  succeeded  in  getting  the  scarlet 
robe  over  his  shoulders.  But  as  for  kneeling  to  receive 
the  crown,  that  he  could  not  do.  He  was  not  used  to 
such  humiliation,  and  no  argument  could  reconcile  him 
to  it.  He  neither  knew ."  the  majesty  nor  meaning  of  a 
crowne,"  and  after  "  a  foule  trouble"  which  they  had, 
and  which  "  tyred  them  all,"  they  only  succeeded  in  their 
object  at  last  "  by  leaning  hard  upon  his  shoulders,"  so 
that  u  he  a  little  stooped,"  and  this  gave  them  a  moment's 
opportunity  to  place  the  kingly  circle  over  the  unwilling 
brows.  When  this  curious  operation  in  crowning  a  king 
had  reached  this  stage  of  the  business,  a  pistol-shot  gave 
the  signal  to  the  boats,  which  poured  forth  a  volley  of 
musketry  in  honor  of  the  event.  Newport,  as  we  see, 
had  arranged  the  details  with  great  regard  to  the  solemnity 
and  state  of  the  occasion  But  Powhatan,  suspecting 
danger  at  every  step  in  the  affair,  was  prepared  to  find 
anything  but  compliment  in  this  salute,  and  behaved,  when 
the  shot  struck  upon  his  ears,  in  a  most  unroyal  manner — 
starting  to  his  feet,  and,  until  the  matter  was  explained, 
showing  no  small  degree  of  apprehension.  Reassured  by 
our  Captain,  he  recovered  himself  sufficiently  to  perform 
an  act  which,  under  like  circumstances,  would  have  been 
characteristic  of  most  sovereigns  in  any  part  of  the  world. 
To  show  his  gratitude,  he  gave  his  old  shoes  and  mantle 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  237 

to  Captain  Newport,  who,  we  may  willingly  allow,  had 
justly  merited  them.  To  this  liberal  present  was  added 
another,  just  before  the  parties  separated,  of  seven  or  eight 
bushels  of  corn.  The  English  derived  very  little  farther 
advantage  from  this  vain  and  paltry  proceeding.  For  his 
own  reasons,  which  were  no  doubt  quite  satisfactory  to 
himself,  Powhatan  refused  to  join  with  them  against  the 
Monacans,  whom  he  had  heretofore  pronounced  his  ene 
mies  ;  refused  to  give  them  guides  to  the  territories  of 
that  people  ;  and  earnestly  endeavored  to  dissuade  them 
from  their  purposes  of  hostility.  Thus  ended  the  expe 
dition.  In  good  hands,  what  a  ludicrous  picture  might  be 
made  of  this  coronation  of  Powhatan  ; — the  reluctant 
savage  pressed  down  by  the  shoulders,  while  the  three 
Englishmf  n,  with  the  crown  aloft?  standing  on  tiptoe,  seize 
the  lucky  moment  to  drop  the  shining  honor  upon  his 
brow ! 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE  refusal  of  Powhatan  to  furnish  guides,  and  his  evident 
reluctance  to  encourage  any  further  exploration  into  his 
territories,  did  not  discourage  Captain  Newport  in  his  me 
ditated  progress  in  search  of  the  country  of  the  Monacans. 
Smith  in  vain  strove  to  divert  him  from  a  purpose,  the 
fruits  of  which,  according  to  his  prediction,  would  be  only 
toil  and  suffering.  But  the  idea  of  gold  dust  and  gold 
mines,  which  had  seized  upon  the  soul  of  the  good  sea  caj> 
tain,  made  him  insensible  to  every  argument  founded  upon 
reason  and  experience.  To  use  the  verses  which  Smith 
employs  in  this  place,  and  which,  for  aught  we  know, 
may  be  from  his  own  pen— 

"  But  those  that  hunger  seeke  to  slake, 
Which  thus  abounding  wealth  wonlde  rake, 
Not  all  the  gemmes  of  Ister's  shore, 
Nor  all  the  gold  of  Lydia's  store, 
Can  fill  their  greedie  appetite, 
It  is  a  thing  so  infinite." 

Leaving  behind  him  eighty  or  ninety  men  with  Smrth>  4 
Jamestown, to  load  the  vessel,  Newport,  with  one  hundred 
and  twenty,  set  forth, soon  after  his  return  from  the  visit  t« 
Powhatan, upon  his  expedition  into  the  wilderness.  But 
his  course  through  the  woods  proved  to  he  no  such  plea 
sant  sailing,  and  a  journey  of  forty  miles,  which  consumed 
nearly  three  days,  found  our  adventurers  in  no  humor  to 
proceed  further.  They  made  no  discoveries,  got  no  gold, 
saw  nothing  to  recompense  their  labor.  Two  Indian 
towns  of  the  Monarans  were  discovered,  in  which  they 
could  procure  grain  for  neither  love  nor  money.  Th« 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH.  239 

savages,  anxious  to  be  rid  of  their  presence,  yet  afra.d  to  be 
hostile,  treated  them  with  sullen  indifference,  and  frightened 
them  with  a  story  of  strange  ships,  which,  since  their  de 
parture,  had  penetrated  to  Jamestown  with  the  view  to  its 
conquest.  They  had  hidden  their  corn,  and  could  not  be 
tempted  by  any  offers  of  trade  to  betray  its  hiding-place  to 
the  greedy  strangers.  This  treatment,  and  the  fatigue 
which  they  suffered  from  a  mode  of  journey  to  which  they 
were  wholly  unaccustomed,  soon  reconciled  our  delicate 
English  to  the  necessity  of  foregoing  those  wonderful  dis 
coveries  upon  which  Newport  had  set  his  heart ;  and, bur 
dened  with  some  shining  earths  in  which  their  refiner  pre 
tended  to  discover  silver,  they  turned  their  faces  once 
more  to  the  settlement.  Smith  sneers  at  so  sudden  an 
abandonment  of  a  progress  through  a  country  equally  fair, 
fertile  and  well  watered  ;  but  the  result  was  only  what  he 
had  predicted.  They  reached  Jamestown,  "  halfc  sicke, 
all  complaining,  and  tyred  with  toyle,  famine  and  discon 
tent" — wiser,  perhaps,  but  scarcely  grateful  for  an  acqui 
sition  so  very  different  from  any  which  their  golden  hopes 
had  promised. 

Smith  had  little  sympathy  for  the  adventurers.  They 
had  no  sooner  reached  the  town,  when  he  set  such  of 
them  as  were  able  to  labor,  each  according  to  his  peculia; 
ability,  in  procuring  the  necessary  commodities  for  freight 
mg  the  vessel.  Some  were  set  to  the  manufacture  of 
glass,  others  of  tar,  pitch,  and  potash,  and  these  wert 
placed  under  the  control  of  the  council ;  while  he  himself, 
with  thirty  others,  leaving  Jamestown,  proceeded  down 
the  river  to  a  proper  spot  in  the  forest,  where  he  could 
teach  them  the  art  of  felling  trees,  making  clap-boards,  and 
sleeping  in  the  woods.  Smith  was  the  proper  leader  to 
convert  into  hardy  and  enterprising  men  the  puny  and 
effeminate  "  younger  sons"  who  were  sent  to  him  from 


240  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN 

England.  He  himself  shrunk  from  no  toil,  and  no  expo 
sure.  Neither  danger  nor  labor  discouraged  his  manhood; 
and,  with  his  example  before  them — that  of  grappling 
always  with  the  worst  and  most  difficult  parts  of  duty — 
his  followers  were  deprived  of  all  excuse  for  complaint  or 
discontent.  But  the  employment  had  its  pleasurable 
excitements.  The  novelty  had  ils  charm,  and  their  tasks 
soon  became  familiar.  u  Strange  were  these  pleasures  to 
their  conditions  5  yet  lodging,  eating,  and  drinking,  work 
ing  or  playing,  they  but  doing  as  the  President  did  him- 
selfe.  All  these  things  were  carried  on  so  pleasantly,  as 
within  a  weeke  they  became  masters  ;  making  it  their 
delight  to  heare  the  trees  thunder  as  they  tell."  And  a 
stirring  sound  it  is :  but  the  delight  of  our  amateur  wood 
cutters  had  its  disagreeables  also.  u  The  axes  so  oft 
olistered  their  tender  fingers,  that  many  times  every  third 
Mow  had  a  loud  othe  to  drowne  the  echo."  For  this 
immorality,  which  our  hero  seems  to  have  held  in  con 
siderable  dislike,  he  adopted  a  novel  remedy.  Each 
man's  oaths  were  numbered  by  his  companions,  and  wrhen 
the  labor  of  the  day  was  over,  for  every  oath,  a  can  of 
cold  water  was  poured  down  the  sleeve  of  the  offender. 
He  himself  was  not  exempt  from  this  penalty, — which 
seems  so  completely  to  have  had  the  effect  desired,  that 
an  oath  was  scarcely  to  be  heard  in  a  week.  "  By  this," 
says  our  author,  "  let  no  man  thinke  that  the  President 
and  these  gentlemen  spent  their  times  as  common  wood- 
naggers  at  felling  of  trees,  or  such  other  like  labours  ;  or 
lhat  they  were  pressed  to  it  as  hirelings,  or  common 
vslaves  ;  for  what  they  did,  after  they  wore  but  once  a 
little  inured,  it  seemed,  and  some  conceited  it,  only  as  a 
pleasure  and  a  recreation  :  yet  thirty  or  forty  of  such 
voluntary  gentlemen  would  doe  more  in  a  day  than  one 
hundred  of  the  rest,  that  must  be  prest  to  it  by  coinpul- 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  241 

sion."  We  may  add  that  much  of  this  would  be  due  to 
the  skill  of  him  who  had  the  direction  of  their  labors 
The  hearty  zeal  with  which  Smith  set  the  example- — his 
own  spirit,  promptness  and  energy — and  the  excellent 
humor  and  judgment  with  which  he  planned  the  penalties 
of  neglect  or  ill-performance, — these  were  the  essential 
influences  by  which  to  make  those  work,  whom  more 
severity  would  have  only  driven  into  rebellion.  Had 
Smith  played  the  martinet  with  his  volunteers,  as  the 
drill  sergeant  of  the  regular  service  is  wont  to  do,  he 
might  have  had  their  axes  about  his  ears.  Still,  though 
pleased  with  the  spirit  and  industry  of  his  men,  our  hero 
quietly  adds,  that  "  twentie  good  workmen  had  been  better 
than  them  all.'7 

Returning  to  the  fort,  Smith  was  vexed  to  find  that 
the  time  had  been  consumed,  and  no  provisions  procured. 
The  ship  lay  idle  at  a  great  charge,  and  her  men  did 
nothing.  Without  wasting  more  time  in  unprofitable  com 
plaints,  his  indefatigable  spirit  at  once  proceeded  to  remedy 
this  new  evil.  Embarking  in  the  discovery  barge,  and 
leaving  instructions  for  Lieutenant  Percy  to  follow  in 
another,  he  set  out  for  the  people  of  Chickahominy. 
u  That  dogged  nation  was  too  well  acquainted  with  our 
wants,  refusing  to  trade  with  as  much  scorne  and  insolency 
as  they  coulde  expresse."  But  Smith  was  in  no  humor 
to  submit  to  denial  or  ill-treatment.  The  exigency  at 
Jamestown  was  pressing.  Besides,  he  perceived  that  the 
countenance  of  Powhatan  was  turned  away  from  the 
colony  ;  that  it  was  his  policy  to  starve  them  out ;  and 
that  the  time  had  at  length  arrived,  for  making  such  a  dis 
play  of  his  power,  as  would  compel  a  return  of  that  res 
pect,  on  the  part  of  this  savage  monarch  and  his  people, 
as  would  ensure  the  future  safety  of  the  English.  Chang- 
'ng  his  tone  accordingly,  he  told  the  Chickahominies  that 


242        LIFE  OF  CAPTAIN  SMITH. 

he  did  not  so  much  come  for  their  corn  as  for  his  revenges. 
He  had  an  old  account  to  settle  with  them.  His  own 
imprisonment  had  never  been  atoned  for,  nor  the  murder 
of  his  people ;  and  it  was  his  humor  now  to  take  ven 
geance  upon  them  for  both  these  occasions  of  complaint. 
Landing  his  men,  and  making  ready  to  charge  the  savages, 
they  took  to  their  heels,  and  sought  the  cover  of  the 
woods  ;  from  whence  they  sent  him  an  embassy,  laden 
with  corn,  fish,  and  fowl,  as  a  tribute  to  the  offended 
strangers.  They  implored  peace  and  pardon  ;  excused 
themselves  for  their  refusal  to  grant  supplies,  alleging,  by 
way  of  extenuating  themselves,  that  their  harvests  that 
year  had  been  inferior ;  but  concluded  with  freighting  both 
barges  with  ample  provisions. 

Returning  to  Jamestown  with  this  store,  the  fruit  of  his 
own  energy  and  decision,  Smith  found  himself  more  likely 
to  suffer  from  the  malice  than  be  honored  by  the  grati 
tude  of  his  associates.  It  seems  to  have  been  his  peculiar 
fortune  in  Virginia  so  to  provoke  the  envy  of  his  col 
leagues  as  to  make  them  wholly  blind  to  their  dependence 
upon  his  abilities.  Indeed,  these  very  abilities,  which  so 
completely  obscured  their  own,  were  the  subject  of  their 
reproach  and  aversion.  Radcliffe,  who  had  proved  him 
self  imbecile  while  President ;  Newport,  who  had  so  re 
cently  verified  by  his  own  failure  the  good  judgment  and 
the  predictions  of  our  hero  ;  would  both  much  rather  have 
hazarded  starvation  than  that  u  his  paines  should  prove  so 
much  more  effectuall  than  theirs  "  Accordingly,  as  blind 
as  bitter  in  their  malice,  they  actually  laid  their  heads 
together,  not  only  to  deprive  him  of  the  presidency  on  the 
wretched  plea  that  he  had  left  the  fort  without  consent  of 
Council,  even  though  in  the  common  exigency  and  for  the 
common  good,  but  they  made  an  effort  to  keep  him  out  of 
the  fort  also.  But,  to  use  the  expressive  language  of  oui 


LIFE    OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  243 

author,  "  their  homes  were  much  too  short"  to  effect  their 
object.  They  themselves  narrowly  escaped  a  greater  mis 
chief.  Our  hero  was  no  trifler  when  his  wrath  was  roused, 
"  and  had  not  Captain  Newport  cried  peccavi,  the  Presi 
dent  would  have  discharged  the  ship,  and  caused  him  to 
have  stayed  one  yeare  in  Virginia  to  learne  to  speake  of 
his  owne  experience."  We  are  not  told  of  the  manner  in 
which  Smith  extricated  himself  from  these  attempts  of  his 
enemies  ;  but  the  common  conviction  of  his  merits,  his 
skill,  spirit  and  invariable  successes,  set  in  contrast  with 
the  uniform  feebleness  of  those  who  were  envious  of  his 
abilities,  naturally  secured  him  the  support  of  all  the  colony. 
To  a  certain  extent,  such  an  establishment  in  a  foreign 
land  must  be  influenced  by  popular  feeling  and  opinion ; 
and,  hated  by  some  of  his  associates,  Smith  was  sustained 
by  all  his  followers.  Besides,  he  was  not  wholly  alone  in 
the  council ;  and,  among  the  chief  persons  of  the  settlement, 
Scrivener,  Percy,  Waldo,  and  others,  were  his  staunch 
friends  and  advocates  ;  and  it  appears  to  have  been  easy  to 
baffled  the  malice  of  Newport  and  his  more  worthless 
ally,  Radcliffe.  But,  though  able  to  protect  himself,  and 
to  maintain  his  authority  against  their  machinations,  he 
was  much  less  successful  in  preventing  the  illicit  traffic 
which  was  carried  on  between  the  sailors,  the  colonists, 
and  the  savages.  "  All  this  time  our  olde  taverne  (the 
ship)  made  as  much  of  all  of  them  that  had  either  money 
or  ware  as  could  be  desired.  By  this  time  they  were 
become  so  perfect  on  all  sides  (I  meane  the  souldiers, 
saylers  and  salvages),  as  there  was  ten  times  more  care  to 
maintaine  their  damnable  and  private  trade,  than  to  pro 
vide  for  the  colony  things  that  were  necessary.  Neither 
was  it  a  small  policy  in  Newport  and  the  marriners  to 
report  in  England  we  had  such  plentie,  and  bring  us  so 
many  men  without  victuals,  when  they  had  so  many  pri- 


244  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH 

vate  factors  in  the  fort,  that,  within  six  or  seaven  weekes< 
of  two  or  three  hundred  axes,  chisels,  hows  (hoes)  and 
pickaxes,  scarce  twentie  could  be  found  :  and  for  pike- 
heads,  shot,  powder,  or  any  thing  they  could  steal  from 
their  fellowes  was  vendible  ;  they  knew  as  well  (and  as 
secretly)  how  to  convey  them  to  trade  with  the  salvages 
for  furres,  baskets,  mussanaks,  young  beasts,  or  such  like 
commodities,  as  exchange  them  with  the  saylers  for  butter, 
cheese,  beefe,  porke,  aqua  vita,  beere,  bisket,  oatmeale, 
and  oyle  :  and  then  faine  all  was  sent  them  from  their 
friends.  And  though  Virginia  afforded  no  furres  for  the 
store  (i.  e.  for  the  benefit  of  the  owners),  yet  our  master 
in  one  voyage  hath  got  so  many  by  this  indirect  meanes: 
as  he  confessed  to  have  sold  in  England  for  thirty 
pounds." 

These  extracts  give  a  lively  idea  of  the  extent  of  the 
peculation  which  Smith  for  a  time  vainly  struggled  to 
prevent.  As  lively  an  idea  of  the  indignation  which  he 
felt  may  be  gathered  from  another  passage,  where  he 
seems  to  indicate  his  success  in  putting  an  end  to  it ;  and 
shows,  at  the  same  time,  the  sort  of  obstacles  which 
usually  serve  to  impede  and  baffle  all  such  enterprises. 
"  These,"  says  he,  speaking  of  the  peculators,  "  are  the 
saint-seeming  worthies  of  Virginia,  that  have,  notwith 
standing  all  this,  meate,  drinke  and  wages ;  but  now  they 
begin  to  grow  weary  (of  saint-seeming),  their  trade  being 
both  perceived  and  prevented  ;  none  hath  beene  in  Vir 
ginia  that  hath  observed  any  thing,  which  knowes  not  this 
to  be  true  ;  and  yet  the  losse,  the  scorne,  the  misery  and 
shame,  was  the  poore  officers,  gentlemen  and  carelesse 
Governours,  who  were  all  thus  bought  and  sold  ;  the 
adventurers  cousened,  and  the  action  overthrowne  by  their 
false  excuses,  informations  and  directions.  By  this  lei 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  J45 

all   men  judge   how  this  businesse   could   prosper,  being 
thus  abused  by  such  pilfring  occasions." 

The  indignant  temper  which  is  here  displayed  is  more 
appropriately  shown  by  our  hero  in  a  letter  which  he 
addressed  to  the  Treasurer  and  Council  of  the  Plantation, 
in  England,  in  the  character  of  President  of  the  settle 
ment.  He  answers  the  false  reports  at  the  expense  of 
the  colony,  set  afloat  by  selfish  and  interested  persons,  and 
briefly,  but  amply,  shows  what  have  been  and  are  the  true 
evils  and  evil  influences^  which  have  baffled  the  hopes  and 
efforts  of  the  colonists.  His  letter  speaks  for  itself,  and 
for  the  good  sense,  the  clear  judgment,  and  the  unselfish 
manhood  of  the  writer.  From  the  tenor  of  the  answer, 
the  reader  will  sufficiently  gather  the  sort  of  reports  detri 
mental  to  the  settlers,  which  had  been  circulated  in 
England  ; — reports,  which  the  disappointments  of  the  coun 
cil,  with  regard  to  the  results  of  their  outlay,  made  them 
but  too  ready  to  believe.  It  was  much  easier  and  far 
more  grateful  to  suppose  that  the  failure  lay  rather  in  the 
misconduct  and  disobedience  of  the  agents,  than  in  the 
errors  and  absurdity  of  their  own  schemes.  They  com 
plained  of  the  vain  hopes  with  which  they  had  been  fed, 
and  of  the  factions  which  defeated  the  performances  of 
the  colony  ;  and  concluded  with  threatening,  that»  unless 
the  proceeds  of  the  return  voyage  of  Newport's  ship 
should  defray  the  expenses  of  her  outfit — some  two  thou 
sand  pounds — they  would  abandon  the  settlement  to  its 
fate.  It  was  with  this  threat  to  stimulate  him,  that  New 
port  set  out  seeking  mines  of  gold  and  silver  in  the  coun 
try  of  the  Monacans  ;  while  Smith,  with  more  sagacity 
and  industry,  proceeded  to  hew  trees,  get  out  clapboards, 
and  freight  the  vessel  with  pitch,  tar,  glass  and  potash.  Hisr 
letter  accompanied  the  cargo.  We  furnish  it  at  length . 


246        LIFE   OF   CAPTAIN  SMITH. 

iiRiyht  Honourable,  fyc.  I  received  your  letter,  where 
in  you  write,  that  our  minds  are  so  set  upon  faction,  and 
idle  conceits  in  dividing  the  country  without  your  con- 
Bents,  and  that  we  feed  you  but  with  ifs  and  ands,  hopes 
and  some  few  proofes  ;  as  if  we  would  keepe  the  mystery 
of  the  businesse  to  ourselves  ;  and  that  we  must  expressly 
follow  your  instructions  sent  by  Captain  Newport :  the 
charge  of  whose  voyage  amounts  to  neare  two  thousand 
pounds,  the  which,  if  we  cannot  defray  by  the  ship's 
returne,  wre  are  alike  to  remains  as  banished  men.  To 
these  particulars  I  humbly  intreat  your  pardons  if  I  ofiend 
you  with  my  rude  answer 

"  For  our  factions,  unlesseyou  would  have  me  run  away 
and  leave  the  country,  I  cannot  prevent  them  :  because  1 
do  make  many  stay  that  would  eh  fly  any  whether.  For  the 
idle  letter  sent  to  my  Lord  of  Salisbury,  by  the  President 
and  his  confederats,  for  dividing  the  country,  &c., — what 
it  was  I  know  not,  for  you  saw  no  hand  of  mine  to  it,  nor 
even  dreamt  I  of  any  such  matter.  That  we  feed  you 
with  hopes,  &c. —  Though  I  be  no  scholar,  I  am  past  a 
schoolboy  ;  and  I  desire  but  to  know,  what  either  you,  and 
these  here  doe  know,  but  that  I  have  learned  to  tell  you  by 
the  continuall  hazard  of  my  life.  1  have  not  concealed  from 
you  any  thing  L  know  ;  but  I feare  some  cause  you  to  believe 
much  more  than  is  true. 

"  Expressly  to  follow  your  directions  by  Captaine 
Newport,  though  they  be  performed,  /  was  directly  against 
it ;  but  according  to  our  commission  I  was  content  to  be 
overruled  by  the  major  part  of  the  councell,  I  feare  to  the 
hazard  of  us  all ;  which  now  is  generally  confessed  when 
it  is  too  late.  Onely  Captaine  Winne  and  Captain  Waldc 
I  have  sworne  of  the  councell,  and  crowned  Powhatan 
according  to  your  instructions. 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH.  247 

"  For  the  charge  of  this  voyage  of  two  or  three  thousand 
pounds,  we  have  not  received  the  value  of  an  hundred  pounds. 
And  for  the  quartred  boat  to  be  borne  by  the  souldiers 
over  the  falles,  Newport  had  120  of  the  best  men  he  could 
chuse.  If  he  had  burnt  her  to  ashes,  one  might  have  carried 
her  in  a  bag,  but  as  she  is,  jive  hundred  cannot,  to  a  naviga 
ble  place  above  the  falles.  And  for  him  at  that  time  to 
find  in  the  South  Sea  a  mine  of  gold  ;  or  any  of  them  sent 
by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  :  at  our  consultation  I  told  them 
was  as  likely  as  the  rest.  But  during  this  great  discovery 
of  thirtie  myles  (which  might  as  well  have  been  done  by 
one  man,  and  much  more,  for  the  value  of  a  pound  of 
copper  at  a  seasonable  tyme)  they  had  the  pinnace  and  all 
the  boats  with  them,  but  one  that  remained  with  me  to 
serve  the  fort.  In  their  absence  I  followed  the  new  begun 
works  of  pitch  and  tarre,  glasse,  sope  ashes  and  clapboard, 
whereof  some  small  quantities  we  have  sent  you.  But  if 
you  rightly  consider  what  an  infinite  toyle  it  is  in  Russia 
and  Swethland,  where  the  woods  are  proper  for  naught 
els,  and  though  there  be  the  helpe  both  of  man  and  beast 
in  those  ancient  commonwealths,  which  many  an  hundred 
yeares  have  used  it,  yet  thousands  of  those  poore  people 
can  scarce  get  necessaries  to  live,  but  from  hand  to  mouth. 
And  though  your  factors  there  can  buy  as  much  in  a  week 
as  will  fraught  you  a  ship,  or  as  much  as  you  please  ;  you 
must  not  expect  from  us  any  such  matter,  which  are  but 
as  many  of  ignorant  miserable  soules,  that  are  scarce  able 
to  get  wherewith  to  live,  and  defend  ourselves  against  the 
inconstant  salvages  :  finding  here  and  there  a  tree  fit  for 
the  purpose,  and  want  all  things  els  the  Russians  have. 
For  the  coronation  of  Powhatan, — by  whose  advice  you 
sent  him  such  presents,  I  know  not ;  but  this  give  me 
leave  to  tell  you,  I  feare  they  will  be  the  confusion  of  us 


248  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

all  ere  we  heare  from  you  agane.*  At  your  ship's  arrival] 
the  salvages'  harvest  was  ric3wly  gathered,  and  we  going  tc 
buy  it,  our  owne  not  being  halfe  sufficient  for  so  great  a 
number.  As  for  the  two  ships  loading  of  corne  Newport 
promised  to  provide  us  from  Powhatan,  he  brought  us  but 
fourteen  bushels,  and  from  the  Monacans  nothing,  but  the 
most  of  the  men  sicke  and  neare  famished.  From  your 
ship  we  had  not  provision  in  victuals  worth  twenty  pound, 
and  we  are  more  than  two  hundred  to  live  upon  this  :  the 
one  halfe  sicke,  the  other  little  better.  For  the  saylers 
(I  confcsse)  they  daily  make  good  cheare  ;  but  our  diet  is 
a  little  meale  and  water,  and  not  sufficient  of  that.  Though 
there  be  fish  in  the  sea,  foules  in  the  aire,  and  beasts  in  the 
woods,  their  bounds  are  so  large,  they  so  wildc,  and  we  so 
weake  and  ignorant,  we  cannot  much  trouble  them.  Cap 
tain  Newport  we  much  suspect  to  be  the  author  of  those 
inventions.  Now,  that  you  should  know,  I  have  made  you 
as  great  a  discovery  as  he,  for  lesse  charge  than  he  spendcth 
you  every  meale  ;  I  have  sent  you  this  mappe  of  the  bay  and 
rivers,  with  an  annexed  relation  of  the  countries  and  nations 
that  inhabit  (hem,  as  you  may  see  at  large. |  Also  two 
barrels  of  stones,  and  such  as  I  take  to  be  good  iron  ore  at 
the  least  ;  so  divided,  as  by  their  notes  you  may  see  in 
what  places  I  found  them.  The  souldiers  say  many  of 
your  officers  maintaine  their  families  out  of  that  you  sent 

*  Already,  before  the  ink  was  dry  on  Smith's  letter,  we  find  it  writ 
ten — "Master  Scrivener  was  sent  with  the  barges  and  pinnace  to 
Werowocomoco,  where  he  found  the  salvages  more  readie  to  fight 
than  trade,"  &c. 

t  Already  referred  to.  A  remarkably  well  executed  chart,  sin 
gularly  correct,  considering  the  difficulties  and  disadvantages  of  the 
explorer;  and  an  admirable  proof  of  the  equal  zeal,  courage  and 
abilities  of  our  adventurer.  The  accompanying  narrative  is  equally 
valuable  and  remarkable. 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  249 

us  r  and  that  Newport  hath  an  hundred  pounds  a  yeare 
for  carrying  newes.  For  every  master  you  have  yet  sent 
can  find  the  way  as  well  he,  so  that  an  hundred  pounds 
might  be  spared,  which  is  more  than  we  have  all,  that 
helps  to  pay  him  wages.  Capt.  Radcliffe  is  now  called 
Sicklemore,  a  poore  counterfeited  imposture.  I  have  sent 
you  him  home,  least  the  company  should  cut  his  throat 
What  he  is  now,  every  one  can  tell  you  :  if  he  and  Archer 
returne  againe  they  are  sufficient  to  keepe  us  alwayes  in 
factions.  When  you  send  againe  I  entreat  you  rather 
send  but  thirty  carpenters,  husbandmen,  gardiners,  fisher 
men,  blacksmiths,  masons  and  diggers  up  of  trees'  roots, 
well  provided,  than  a  thousand  of  such  as  we  have  ;  for 
except  we  be  able  both  to  lodge  them  and  feed  them,  the 
most  will  consume  with  want  of  necessaries  before  they 
can  be  made  good  for  any  thing.  Thus  if  you  please  to 
consider  this  account,  and  the  unnecessary  wages  to  Cap- 
taine  Newport,  or  his  ships  so  long  lingering  and  staying 
here  (for  notwithstanding  his  boasting  to  leave  us  victuals 
for  12  months,  though  we  had  89  by  this  discovery  lame 
and  sicke,  and  but  a  pint  of  corne  a  day  for  a  man,  we 
were  constrained  to  give  him  three  hogsheads  of  that  to 
victual  him  homeward),  or  yet  to  send  into  Germany  or 
Polelatujt  for  glasse  men  and  the  rest,  till  we  be  able  to 
sustain  ourselves,  and  releeve  them  when  they  come, — it 
were  better  to  give  five  aundred  pound  a  tun  for  these 
grosse  commodities  in  Denmarke  than  send  for  them 
hither,  'till  more  necessary  things  be  provided.  For  in 
over  toyling  our  weake  and  unskilful  bodies,  to  satisfie 
this  desire  of  present  profit,  we  can  scarce  oven  recover 
ourselves  from  one  supply  to  another.  And  1  humbly 
intreat  you  hereafter,  let  us  know  what  we  should  receive, 
and  not  stand  to  the  .saylers  courtesie  to  leave  us  what 
they  please,  else  you  imiy  riiH.y;^  u>  vvhai  vou  will,  nul 


250  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

we  not  you  with  any  thing.  These  are  the  causes  that 
have  kept  us  in  Virginia  from  laying  such  a  foundation, 
that  ere  this  might  have  given  much  better  content  and 
satisfaction  ;  but  as  yet  you  must  not  looke  for  any  profita 
ble  returne  :  So  I  humbly  rest." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THIS  bold  and  manly  letter  was  dictated  by  a  sense  of 
suffering  and  injustice,  and  somewhat  by  a  consciousness 
of  exigency.  It  has  devolved  upon  u  our  Captaine,"  as 
we  have  seen,  on  almost  all  occasions,  to  procure  and  to 
provide,  at  the  hazard  of  his  own  repose  and  life,  the 
greater  portion  of  the  food  by  which  the  hungry  mouths 
of  the  colony  were  satisfied.  The  ships  had  brought  him 
consumers,  and  nothing  more.  The  stores  which  they  fur 
nished  were  soon  exhausted,  equally  by  their  own  waste, 
and  by  the  new  colonists  whom  they  brought.  Seventy 
persons  came  with  Newport  on  his  last  voyage,  and  were 
left  as  burdens  to  the  colonists,  who,  as  Smith  states  in 
his  letter,  was  compelled  to  supply  the  ship's  crew  return 
ing  home  with  a  portion  of  their  slender  store  of  provision. 
Of  the  new  comers,  thirty  were  gentlemen,  fourteen  were 
tradesmen,  twelve  were  laborers,  two  were  boys,  eight  were 
Dutchmen  and  Poles,  sent  out  to  make  potashes  ;  and 
there  were  two  women,  "  Mistresse  Forrest,  and  Anne 
Burras,  her  maide."  The  latter  was,  shortly  after  her 
arrival,  married  to  John  Laydon,  a  carpenter,  who  had 
been  in  the  colony  from  the  beginning  ;  and  this  was  the 
first  marriage  of  Europeans  that  ever  took  place  in  Vir 
ginia.  With  this  new  and  numerous  supply  of  gentlemen, 
added  to  the  already  large  proportion  of  the  same  unpro 
ductive  sort  of  population,  our  Captain  might  well  become 
affrighted  at  the  new  charge  upon  the  feeble  resources  of 
the  colony.  The  tone  of  his  letter  is  enlivened  by  the 
sense  of  ^vrong  don**  to  the  really  industrious  and  adven- 


252  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

turous  portions  of  the  settlement  ;  and  he  might  well  be 
roused  at  the  monstrous  expense  of  two  thousand  pounds, 
to  be  liquidated  by  the  colony,  incurred  in  compliance 
with  the  absurd  suggestions  and  dishonest  counsels  of 
Newport  and  Radclifle — crowns,  and  robes,  and  wash 
basins,  to  the  dusky  potentate  of  Werowocomoco,  and 
searches  after  the  South  Sea  in  the  wigwams  and  forests 
of  the  people  of  Monacan, 

The  seventy  newly  arrived  had  increased  the  number 
of  the  colony  to  two  hundred  persons.  It  had  been  found 
exceedingly  difficult  to  provide  for  half  that  number,  as 
the  chief  supplies  of  food  were  drawn  from  the  Indians. 
These  seldom  planted  more  land  than  \vould  yield  pro 
vision  for  their  own  tribes,  and  though  profligate  enough 
to  sell  when  under  great  temptation,  they  were  now  too 
familiar  with  the  necessities  and  with  the  commodities  of 
the  English,  not  to  value  their  own  very  highly.  Besides, 
Powhatan  was  no  longer  disposed  to  encourage  the  growth 
of  a  strange  people  on  his  soil,  whose  resources  were  so 
great,  and  whose  numbers  he  saw  so  constantly  increas 
ing.  The  colonists  themselves,  mostly  dissipated  and  idle 
adventurers,  unaccustomed  to  labor,  and  very  soon  yielding 
to  the  prostrating  influences  of  the  summer  climate  in 
Virginia,  had  at  no  time  been  able  to  raise  an  adequate 
supply  of  food  for  their  own  consumption.  The  late  sea 
son,  which  had  been  laboriously  employed  by  Smith  in 
exploring  the  Chesapeake  and  the  contiguous  rivers,  had 
been  consumed  by  Radcliffe,  then  in  the  Presidency,  in 
idleness  and  peculation.  We  have  seen  the  waste  which 
followed  the  arrival  and  the  detention  of  Kenton  and  his 
floating  tavern.  At  his  departure,  the  destitute  condition 
of  the  colony,  doubly  burdened  with  its  new  mouths,  dis 
tressed  and  alarmed  "  our  Captaine."  "  These  poore 
conclusions  so  affrighted  us  all  with  famine,"  that  he 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  253 

determined  on  an  expedition  to  Nansemond  in  search  of 
supplies.  It  will  be  recollected  the  fright  he  gave  to  this 
people  while  on  his  exploring  voyage,  threatening  to  burn 
their  villages  in  consequence  of  their  treachery,  and  receiv 
ing  from  them  a  promise  of  four  hundred  bushels  of  corn 
wheneve'1  he  should  next  visit  them.  The  necessities  of 
the  colony  moved  him  to  remind  them  ©f  their  promise. 
But  they  had  entirely  forgotten  it  ;  treated  him  very 
coldly  ;  and  not  only  withheld  the  required  tribute,  but 
positively  refused  to  trade  with  him  on  any  terms.  They 
excused  themselves  for  this  refusal,  by  alleging  that  they 
had  no  provisions  to  spare,  and  that  Powhatan  had  com 
manded  them  not  only  to  keep  their  grain,  but  not  to  allow 
the  English  to  enter  their  river.  Smith,  after  vainly 
endeavoring  to  reason  them  into  a  more  friendly  disposi 
tion,  brought  his  muskets  to  bear  upon  the  argument. 
This  drove  them  to  the  thickets,  without  discharging  an 
arrow.  But  this  brought  "  our  Captaine  "  no  nigher  to 
his  objects,  and,  putting  the  torch  to  one  of  their  houses, 
he  signified  to  them  that  such  should  be  the  fate  of  all 
unless  the  grain  was  forthcoming.  This  brought  them  out 
of  covert.  The  argument  was  effectual ;  and,  on  condition 
that  he  should  "  make  no  more  spoyle,"  they  loaded  the 
three  boats  which  he  brought,  before  night.  "  How  they 
collected  it,"  says  our  author,  "  I  know  not."  Content 
with  their  atonement,  and  the  quantity  of  grain  which 
they  furnished,  Smith  forbore  farther  severities,  and,  on 
the  strength  of  his  forbearance,  they  promised  to  plant  a 
crop  purposely  for  the  English. 

That  night,  our  hero,  with  his  party,  dropping  a  few 
miles  down  the  river,  so  as  to  piace  his  boats  and  supplies 
in  safety,  went  ashore,  and  made  their  beds  at  the  foot  of 
a  hill,  in  the  open  woods.  The  ground  was  covered  with 
snow,  and  frozen  hard.  They  dug  a  space  in  the  snow, 
17 


254         LIFE  OF  CAPTAIN   SMITH 

and  built  a  fire.  When  the  heat  had  sufficiently  dried  the 
spot,  they  threw  off  the  fire,  swept  the  ground,  and  cover 
ing  it  with  a  mat,  slept  as  warmly  and  pleasantly  as  if 
they  had  been  in  a  palace.  "  To  keepe  us  from  tht 
\vinde  we  made  a  shade  of  another  mat ;  as  the  winde 
turned  we  turned  our  shade  ;  and  when  the  ground  grew 
cold  we  renewed  the  fire.  And  thus  many  a  cold  wintei 
night  have  we  laine  in  this  miserable  manner  ;  yet  those 
that  most  commonly  went  upon  those  occasions  were 
always  in  health,  lusty  and  fat."  These  are  encouraging 
facts,  which  the  luxurious  world  are  slow  to  understand. 
We  have  yet  to  learn  how  much  the  vigor  and  the  elas 
ticity  of  the  human  frame  depend  upon  a  free  and  hearty 
commerce  with  the  air  we  breathe,  and  with  the  elements 
which  enter  into  our  composition. 

The  toils  and  perils  of  such  a  mode  of  life,  the  severities 
and  caprices  of  the  seasons,  had  no  discouragements  for 
*  our  Captain."  Scarcely  had  he  brought  these  supplies 
in  safety  to  Jamestown,  than  he  was  off  on  another  expe 
dition,  having  the  same  object.  This  time,  proceeding  up 
the  bay  in  two  barges,  he  found  himself  avoided  by  the 
jealous  savages.  They  fled  on  every  side  at  his  appear 
ance,  until  he  came  to  the  river  and  people  of  Appamat- 
tox  ;  with  these  he  traded,  with  copper,  for  a  small  sup 
ply  of  corn,  and  returned  to  Jamestown  to  discover  that 
Scrivener  and  Percy,  who  had  also  gone  abroad  on  a 
similar  quest,  had  returned  with  even  smaller  results  than 
himself ;  having  procured  nothing. 

These  disappointments  troubled  our  hero.  The  pros 
pects  were  discouraging.  Time  was  lost  unprofitably,  the 
savages  were  rapidly  consuming  the  provision  which  was 
to  supply  the  colony,  and  the  winter,  only  just  begun, 
promised  to  be  a  severe  one.  Smith's  feelings  of  disquiet 
assumed  a  harsher  aspect  when  he  beheld  the  reluctance 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  255 

of  the  Indians  to  receive  him — when  he  found  them  flying 
at  his  approach,  and  heard  from  their  own  lips  that  they 
were  commanded  by  Povvhatan  to  treat  him  as  an  enemy. 
He  resolved  to  strike  at  the  root  of  the  evil — to  single  out 
the  one  superior  offender  over  all,  and,  i\y  a  striking  ex 
hibition  of  his  power,  convince  the  natives  that  he  was  no 
longer  to  be  trifled  with.  He  resolved  to  surprise  Powha 
tan,  and  take  possession  of  all  his  provisions.  It  does  not 
need  that  we  should  argue  for  the  morality  and  justice  of 
this  decision.  The  discussion  would  carry  us  quite  too 
far  from  our  narrative,  and  beyond  our  limits.  The  case 
seems  to  have  been  one  of  necessity,  and  Smith  was  de 
termined  not  to  starve.  He  consulted  with  his  counsel, 
but  their  opinions  were  divided.  Scrivener  and  Winne, 
influenced  by"  instructions  from  England,  where,  at  that 
time,  they  were  particularly  tender  of  the  sacrrdness  of 
the  rights  of  the  royal  person,  were  opposed  to  the  project. 
Captain  Waldo  alone  sided  with  him.  Smith's  reasons 
were  those  of  Cortes  and  Pizarro.  He  felt  their  impor 
tance,  the  exigency  of  the  necessity,  and  was  not  to  be 
driven  from  his  purposes.  It  happened,  just  at  this  time, 
as  if  to  favor  his  design,  that  Powhatan  dispatched  a  mes 
senger  to  our  hero,  inviting  him  to  come  and  see  him. 
The  emperor  wished  for  workmen  to  build  him  a  house 
after  the  English  fashion.  He  also  desired  a  grindstone, 
fifty  swords,  some  guns,  and  other  articles,  for  which  he 
was  willing  to  give  a  ship-load  of  corn.  Powhatan  had  se\ 
his  heart  upon  the  swords  and  grindstones.  We  havft 
already  seen  the  endeavors  which  he  made  to  procure 
them  from  Smith  and  Newport.  With  the  latter  he  was 
successful  ;  but  the  former  was  less  easily  persuaded  to 
provide  his  treacherous  enemy  with  better  weapons  of 
warfare  than  those  to  which  he  was  accustomed.  It  is 
probable  that  the  instructions  given  by  Powhatan  to  his 


~f>f>  LIFE      OK      CAPTAIN       SMITH. 

people,  to  refuse  all  commerce  with  the  English,  had  no 
higher  motive  than  so  to  reduce  them  t>y  their  exigencies 
as  to  compel  Smith  to  trade  with  him  on  rjis  own  terms 
Knowing  that  the  several  attempts  of  tne  colonists  to  pro 
cure  grain  had  been  baffled  by  his  instructions,  and  having 
learned  how  eager  they  were  in  the  pursuit  of  provisions, 
he  fancied  that  the  time  had  ?'-rived  when  he  might  pro 
cure  the  objects  which  he  desired  at  his  own  price  ;  and 
hence  his  proposition,  and  hence  his  invitation  to  Smith  to 
visit  him.  But  the  latter  was  disposed  to  suspect  some 
more  profound  design  at  the  bottom  of  this  invitation.  He 
well  knew  the  devices  and  subtlety  of  the  Indian  heart, 
and,  regarding  only  his  more  obvious  policy,  such  as  it 
would  have  been  in  the  case  of  an  European  potentate,  he 
found  in  it  a  full  justification  for  his  own  project.  He 
complied  in  part  with  the  request  of  Powhatan  ;  sent  him 
four  Dutch  and  two  Englishmen  to  build  his  house,  and 
prepared  himself  to  visit  him.  But  the  swords  were  for 
gotten.  Setting  forth  with  the  pinnace,  two  barges,  and 
forty-six  men,  all  volunteers,  he  left  Jamestown  for  Wero- 
wocomoco  some  time  in  December.*  His  company  was 
victualled  for  but  three  or  four  days,  and  lodging  the  first 
night  with  the  king  of  Warraskoyack,  at  a  short  distance 
from  Jamestown,  they  received  from  him  ample  additional 
supplies.  This  chief  counselled  Smith  against  visiting 
Powhatan,  whom  he  described  as  meditating  the  most 
cruel  treacheries,  sending  for  the  English  only  to  cut  their 
throats  and  seize  their  arms.  But,  though  thanking  him 
for  his  advice,  Smith  resolved  against  taking  it.  From 
this  king  he  obtained  guides  to  the  dominions  of  another 
named  Chawannock,  whose  territories  lay  in  the  fork  cf 

*  The  narrative  says  the  29th,  but,  as  he  afterwards  tells  us  of  spend* 
ing  Christmas  among  the  Indians  of  Kecoughtan,  this  must  be  an 
error.  The  matter  is  of  little  moment. 


LIFE    OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH.  2i)7 

Chowan,  between  the  rivers  Nottoway  and  Meherin. 
With  these  he  dispatched  one  Michael  Sicklemore,  whom 
he  describes  as  u  a  very  valiant,  honest,  and  painful  soldie-r." 
His  object  in  sending  this  gentleman  was  threefold.  He 
was  to  conciliate  the  friendship  of  the  king  of  the  Chowan- 
nocks,  obtain  some  specimens  of  silk  grass,  and  make  in 
quiries  after  the  lost  company  of  Mr.  Walter  Raleigh.  On 
leaving  the  king  of  Wanaskoyack,  Smith  left  with  him  his 
page,  Samuel  Collier,  in  order  that  he  should  learn  the 
Indian  language. 

From  Wanaskoyack  Smith  next  proceeded  to  Kecough- 
tan  (Hampton).  Here  they  were  detained  by  storms  for 
several  days.  They  kept  their  Christmas — never  more 
merrily — among  the  Indians,  who  feasted  them  upon 
oysters,  fish,  flesh  and  wild-fowl,  in  abundance.  Better 
cheer  and  kinder  welcome  they  never  enjoyed.  The  yule- 
log  had  never  burned  for  them  more  brightly  in  England, 
than  in  the  smoky  cabins  of  the  Kecoughtan.  Departing 
thence,  it  was  not  so  agreeable  to  resume  their  ancient 
practice,  so  productive  of  health  and  fat,  of  lying  in  any 
weather  by  a  great  fire  at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  and  with  no 
roof  but  that  of  heaven.  To  afford  an  idea  of  the  abundance 
of  wild  fowl  encountered  on  the  route,  during  this  severe 
season,  we  are  told  that  the  president,  with  Anthony  Bag- 
nail  and  Serjeant  Pising,  killed  a  hundred  and  forty-eight 
at  three  shots.  Wild  pigeons  are  probably  meant.  At 
Kiskiack,  the  extreme  cold  and  bad  weather,  together  with 
a  desire  to  "suppress  the  insolency  of  these  proud  savages,'' 
prompted  them  to  delay  three  or  four  days  longer,  and  it 
was  not  till  the  12th  of  January  that  they  reached  Wero- 
comoco.  Here  winter  awaited  them  with  more  than  usual 
severity  of  aspect,  as  if  in  alliance  with  Powhatan.  The 
river  was  frozen  for  a  space  of  half  a  mile  from  the  shore. 
But  Smith's  hardihood  was  not  to  be  discouraged  Ti 


258  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

lose  no  time,  having  broken  through  the  ice  with  the  barge 
as  far  as  this  was  possible,  he  taught  his  followers  by  his 
own  example,  u  to  march  neare  middle  deep,  a  flight  shot 
(an  arrow  shot),  through  this  muddy,  frozen  ooze."  Thus 
he  gained  the  shore  in  safety  with  his  men,  and,  quartering 
in  the  nearest  cabins,  sent  to  Powhatan  for  provisions. 
The  Emperor  very  promptly  supplied  him  in  abundance 
•with  bread,  turkeys  and  venison.  The  next  day  he  re 
ceived  and  feasted  them  after  his  ordinary  manner,  which, 
as  we  have  seen  in  repeated  instances,  was  not  unworthy 
an  Indian  sovereign.  But,  the  feast  over,  to  the  surprise 
of  Smith,  he  inquired,  with  rare  inhospitality,  when  he 
proposed  to  depart.  The  explanation  which  followed  be 
trayed  the  duplicity  of  the  savage  nature.  Powhatan  de 
nied  that  he  had  ever  sent  for  him.  He  had  no  corn  to 
spare,  and  his  people  less.  Some  forty  baskets,  indeed, 
might  be  had,  but  for  these  he  required  forty  swords. 
Smith,  in  reply  to  this,  coolly  confronted  him  with  the  men 
by  whom  his  message  had  been  brought.  When  asked 
how  he  could  be  so  forgetful,  he  "  concluded  "  the  matter 
with  a  merry  laughter,  and  asked  for  his  commodities. 
But  none  of  these  suited  him.  His  desires  were  set  only 
upon  guns  and  swords,  and,  rejecting  the  copper  with  con 
tempt,  which  was  offered  for  his  corn,  he  said  that  he  could 
put  a  value  upon  his  corn,  not  on  the  copper. 

"  Our  Captaine  "  soon  saw  that  the  wily  savage  wras 
trifling  writh  him.  He  was  not  much  in  the  mood  for 
trifling,  and,  with  some  decision,  he  gave  him  to  understand 
tfiat  his  guns  and  swords  might  be  bestowed  upon  him 
after  a  different  mode  from  that  which  he  desired.  "  Pow 
hatan,"  said  he,  "  though  I  had  many  courses  to  have  made 
my  provision,  yet,  believing  your  promises  to  supply  my 
wants,  I  neglected  all  to  satisfie  your  desire  and  to  testify 
my  love.  1  sent  you  my  men  for  your  building,  neglecting 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  259 

mine  own ;  what  your  people  had  you  have  engrossed,, 
forbidding  them  our  trade  ;  and  now  you  think  by  con 
suming  the  time,  we  shall  consume  for  want,  not  having  to 
fulfil  your  strange  demands.  As  for  swords  and  guns,  I 
told  you  long  ago,  I  had  none  to  spare  ;  and  you  must  know 
those  I  have  can  keep  me  from  want :  yet  steale  or  wrong 
you  I  will  not,  nor  dissolve  that  friendship  we  have  mu 
tually  promised,  except  you  constrain  me  by  your  bad  usage.''1 

Powhatan  listened  very  attentively  to  this  discourse,  and 
promised,  in  reply,  that  within  two  days  Smith  should  have 
all  the  corn  which  it  was  in  his  own  and  the  power  of  his 
people  to  bestow.  "  Yet,  Captaine  Smith,"  he  added, 
"  some  doubt  about  the  motive  of  your  coming  hither 
makes  me  not  so  kindly  seeke  to  relieve  you  as  I  would, 
for  many  doe  inform  me  your  coming  hither  is  not  for 
trade,  but  to  possess  my  country  and  invade  my  people. 
These  dare  not  come  to  bring  you  come,  seeing  you  thus 
for  ever  armed.  To  free  us  of  this  feare,  leave  your  wea 
pons  aboard  your  vessel.  Here,  where  we  are  all  friends, 
they  are  wholly  needless." 

The  frankness  of  Powhatan's  speech  was  associated 
with  quite  too  much  wariness  of  conduct  to  disarm  the 
caution  of  "  our  Captaine,"  with  whom  he  contrived  to 
confer  throughout  the  day,  in  the  same  style  and  in  ex 
cellent  good  humor.  They  were  both  politicians  equally 
skilled  and  subtle, — each  having  a  secret  purpose,  which 
he  could  only  execute  by  first  baffling  the  other's  vigilance 
and  circumspection.  But  the  game  was  rather  more  in 
telligible  and  clear  in  the  hands  of  the  Indian  emperor  than 
in  that  of  our  hero.  The  latter  little  dreamed  that  he  had 
been  betrayed  to  Powhatan  by  the  very  persons  whom  he 
had  sent  to  build  his  palace.  Four  of  these,  as  we  have 
seen,  were  Dutchmen.  One  of  them,  in  particular,  in  con-M 
sequence  of  his  great  spirit,  judgment,  and  resolution,  was 


260         LIFE   OF   CAPTAIN   SMITH. 

so  g  3at  a  favorite  of  Smith,  that  he  had,  in  fact,  sent  hiro 
as  a  sort  of  spy  upon  his  enemy,  to  discover  and  report  his 
secret  machinations.  Of  the  man's  honesty,  Smith  had 
not  the  slightest  doubt,  and  six  months  elapsed  from  the 
period  of  these  proceedings  before  he  was  put  in  possession 
of  the  proofs  of  his  villany.  But  he,  as  well  as  the  other 
foreigners,  were  bought  over  by  the  artifices  of  Powhatan. 
The  Dutchmen  found  plenty  in  the  huts  of  the  savage,, 
having  left  an  empty  granary  behind  them  at  Jamestown. 
They  were  soon  apprised  of  Powhatan's  preparations  to 
surprise  and  destroy  the  English,  and  became  persuaded, 
knowing  little  (as  late  comers)  of  the  prowess  of  Smith, 
that  the  colony  must  succumb  between  the  joint  assaults 
of  the  savages  and  famine.  Their  social  sympathies  were 
not  more  active  in  behalf  of  the  English  than  of  the  Indians, 
and  they  found  it  little  difficult  to  unite  their  fortunes  with 
the  one,  rattier  than  share  the  seemingly  certain  fate  of  the 
other.  Powhatan  was  accordingly  possessed  of  all  the 
schemes  of  Smith,  while  conferring  with  him  on  the  most 
amicable  footing. 

That  night,  "  our  Captaine  "  quartered  in  the  wigwams 
of  the  king,  and  the  next  day  their  conferences  were  re 
sumed.  These  were  enlivened  slightly  by  a  languid  trade, 
which  Powhatan  suffered,  most  likely,  in  order  to  prevent 
suspicion.  Inthistrade  the  English  succeeded  in  getting  ten 
measures  of  corn  for  a  copper  kettle  which  the  king  seemed 
greatly  to  affect.  But  the  people  brought  no  corn,  and 
,he  gist  of  Powhatan's  discourse  seemed  chiefly  intended 
to  persuade  our  hero  to  lay  aside  his  weapons  and  his  cau 
tion.  The  ingenuity  and  talents  of  the  Indian  king  are 
apparent  in  the  following  discourse. 

u  Captain  Smith,"  said  he,  "  I  have  seen  the  death  of 
three  generations  of  my  people.  I  am  a  very  old  man,  and 
know  the  difference  between  peace  and  war  better  than 


LIFE      OF      C  A  P  I   A  I  N      SMITH.  261 

*ny  person  in  my  country  I  must  die  ere  very  long,  and 
would  wish  to  bequeath  to  my  brethren  and  successors  my 
experience  of  these  things,  along  with  your  friendship. 
But  this  hint  from  Nansemond  that  your  purpose  is  to 
destroy  my  people,  alarms  both  them  and  me.  It  is  for 
this  reason  that  we  dare  not  visit  you.  Now,  what  will 
it  avail  you  to  take  by  force  that  which  you  may  quickly 
have  by  love,  or  to  destroy  the  very  hands  that  bring  you 
food  ?  What  can  you  get  by  war,  when  it  is  so  easy  foi 
us  to  fly  beyond  your  reach,  and  hide  our  provisions  ic 
the  woods  ?  By  wronging  us,  you  only  famish  yourselves 
And  why  thus  jealous  of  our  love  ?  Are  we  not  unarmed 
among  you,  and  willing  still  to  supply  your  wants  ?  Think 
you  I  am  so  simple  not  to  know  how  much  better  it  is 
to  eat  good  meat,  sleep  in  security  with  my  women  and 
children,  laugh  and  enjoy  myself  with  you,  and,  being 
yo-ur  friend,  procure  the  things  I  wish,  than,  as  your 
enemy,  be  forced  to  fly  from  all  ;  to  lie  cold  in  the  woods, 
feed  upon  roots  and  acorns,  and  be  so  hunted  by  you  all 
the  while  as  to  be  able  to  enjoy  neither  rest,  food,  noi 
sleep  ;  with  my  tired  people  watching  around  me,  and  sc 
anxious  and  apprehensive,  that,  if  a  twig  but  break,  every 
one  crieth  out,  '  There  cometh  Captain  Smith  ?'  Thus, 
with  a  miserable  fear,  flying,  I  know  not  whither,  I  must 
soon  end  a  miserable  life,  leaving  my  possessions  to  such 
youth  as  yourself;  who,  through  rashness,  seeking  that 
which  you  know  not  where  to  find,  may  also  as  quickly 
come  to  a  like  miserable  end.  Let  us  be  wiser.  Let 
these  words  assure  you  of  my  friendship.  We  shall  trade 
as  friends  hereafter.  Only  come  to  us  without  your 
swords  and  guns  as  if  you  looked  for  an  enemy,  and  we 
will  furnish  you  with  corn." 

The  excellent  reasoning  embodied  in  this  speech  did  not 


262  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

blind  Smith  to  the  old  king's  subtlety.  His  answer  waa 
couched  in  the  following  terms : 

"  Seeing  you  will  not  rightly  conceive  of  our  words, 
we  strive  to  make  you  know  our  thoughts  by  deeds.  The 
vow  I  made  you  of  my  love,  both  myselfe  and  my  men 
have  kept.  As  for  your  promise,  I  find  it  every  day  vio 
lated  by  some  of  your  subjects.  Yet  we,  finding  your 
love  and  kindnesse,  our  custom  is,  so  far  from  being  un 
grateful,  that,  for  your  sake  onely,  we  have  curbed  our 
thirsty  desire  of  revenge  ;  els  had  they  knowne  as  well 
the  crueltie  we  use  to  our  enemies,  as  our  true  love  and 
courtesie  to  our  friends.  And  1  thinke  your  judgment 
sufficient  to  conceive,  as  well  by  the  adventures  we  have 
undertaken,  as  by  the  advantage  we  have  (by  our  armes) 
of  yours,  that,  had  we  intended  you  any  hurt,  long  ere 
this  we  could  have  effected  it.  Your  people  coming  to 
Jamestowne  are  entertained,  with  their  bowes  and  arrowes, 
without  any  exceptions  :  we  esteeming  it  with  you  as  it 
is  with  us,  to  wear  our  armes  as  our  apparell.  As  for  the 
danger  of  our  enemies,  in  such  warres  consist  our  chiefest 

o  ' 

pleasures.  For  your  riches  we  have  no  use.  As  for  the 
hiding  your  provision,  or  your  flying  to  the  woods,  we 
shall  not  so  unavoidably  starve  as  you,  conclude.  Your 
friendly  care  in  that  behalfe  is  needlesse,  for  we  have  a 
rale  to  find  beyond  your  knowledge ." 

In  this  style  and  spirit  their  dialogue  continued,  varied 
only  by  a  little  trade,  which  Powhatan  seemed  to  permit, 
the  better  to  beguile  his  adversary.  But  the  wariness 
with  which  Smith  maintained  his  guard  baffled  the  objects 
of  the  savage ;  who,  with  a  deep  sigh,  at  last  thus  openly 
reproached  our  Captain  with  his  strictness  and  vigilance  : 

"  Captain  Smith,  I  have  never  treated  any  Werowance* 

*  Werowance,  or  Chief.  Smith,  it  must  not  be  forgotten,  wag 
made  a  Wer<  wance  of  Virginia  by  Powhatan. 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  263 

with  so  much  kindness  as  yourself;  yet  from  you  I  have 
received  but  little  in  return.  From  Newport  I  had  what 
I  wished  ;  swords  and  copper,  bed,  towels,  any  thing  that 
I  desired,  and  he  was  content  to  take  only  what  I  offered 
him.  1  had  but  to  ask,  and  he  sent  his  guns  out  of  sight 
None  refuses  to  do  my  bidding  but  yourself.  From  you 
I  get  nothing  but  what  you  do  not  value  yourself,  yet  you 
will  have  from  me  only  the  thing  which  you  most  desire. 
You  call  Newport  father,  and  you  call  me  father,  yet  you 
are  not  the  son  to  do  for  us  except  what  you  prefer,  and 
we  are  both  required  to  submit  to  you.  If  your  intentions 
be  really  friendly,  as  you  say,  obey  my  wishes.  Send 
away  your  arms,  that  I  may  believe  you.  In  the  love  I 
bear  you,  I  have  stripped  myself  of  every  weapon. " 

Smith  was  not  blind  to  the  fact  *hat  the  number  of 
Powhatan's  followers  had  greatly  increased.  He  himself 
had  but  eighteen  men  ashore  ;  and  but  one  man,  John 
Russell,  immediately  in  attendance.  Seeing  that  the 
savage  was  only  solicitous  to  gain  time  in  order  to  accu 
mulate  sufficient  numbers  to  cut  his  throat,  Smith  deter 
mined  to  anticipate  the  action  of  his  enemy  by  putting  his 
own  schemes  into  sudden  operation.  He,  accordingly, 
set  the  Indians  to  work  to  break  the  ice,  that  the  boat 
might  reach  the  shore  in  order  to  take  in  himself  and  the 
corn  which  he  had  bought.  He  contrived  at  the  same 
time  to  convey  an  order  to  his  men  to  come  ashore,  the 
better  to  effect  the  surprise  which  he  designed.  Mean 
while,  he  entertained  the  Virginian  with  the  following 
reply — speaking  against  time,  as  his  adversary  had  been 
doing  : 

"  Powhatan,  you  must  know,  as  I  have  but  one  God,  I 
honour  but  one  king.  I  live  not  here  as  your  subject,  but 
your  friend,  to  pleasure  you  with  what  I  can.  By  the 
gifts  vou  bestow  upon  me,  you  gaine  more  than  by  trade ; 


264  LIFE      OF     .CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

yet  would  you  visit  me  as  I  doe  you,  you  should  know  it 
is  not  our  custome  to  sell  our  courtesies  as  a  vendible 
commodity.  Bring  all  your  countrey  with  you  for  youf 
guard,  I  will  not  dislike  it  as  being  overjealous.  But,  to 
content  you,  to-morrow  I  will  leave  my  armes,  and  trust 
to  your  promise.  I  call  you  father,  indeed,  and  as  a 
father  you  shall  see,  I  shall  love  you  ;  but  the  small  care 
you  have  of  such  a  childe  caused  my  men  peiswade  rne  to 
looke  to  myselfe." 

How  Powhatan  must  have  grinned  at  this  shrewd  and 
affecting  reproach  !  It  was  uttered  at  a  moment  when  it 
was  full  of  significance.  The  conference  was  going  on  in 
one  of  the  houses  of  the  king.  While  Smith  was  speak 
ing,  the  former  was  apprised  of  the  breaking  of  the  ice, 
and  of  the  gradual  approach  of  the  boat  to  the  shore.  The 
wily  savage  instantly  felt  that  the  time  for  action  on  his 
part  had  come.  It  was  not  his  policy  to  waif  until  Smith 
had  increased  his  body-guard  with  all  his  force.  This 
body-guard  had  been  stationed  at  some  little  distance — at 
equal  distances,  probably,  between  the  shore  and  the 
place  of  conference.  Smith  had  but  one  companion  with 
him  in  the  dwelling,  and  by  this  time  Powhatan  had  envi 
roned  the  house  with  his  warriors.  Seizing  a  favorable 
moment,  he  left  some  of  his  women  to  keep  Smith  in  con 
versation,  and  quietly  stole  off  from  the  premises.  Then 
it  was  that  "  our  Captain  "  was  made  to  comprehend  his 
danger.  He  became  aware  of  numbers  of  dusky  savages, 
stalwart  and  suspicious,  who  were  showing  themselves  on 
every  hand.  He  found  himself  wholly  beset  with  foes, 
and  the  chief  of  them,  whose  personal  presence  he  had 
relied  on  for  his  safety,  had  disappeared  with  the  agile 
dexterity  of  a  serpent,  winding  away  through  the  distant 
woods.  But  Smith  possessed  in  perfection  the  Alexan 
drine  method  of  cutting  himself  out  of  a  difficulty.  He 


LIFE      OF      CAPTA.IN      SMITH.  263 

did  not  pause  in  this  predicament.  Thought  and  action 
grew  together  in  a  nature  such  as  his,  which  needed  but 
the  provocation,  instantly  to  receive  from  his  will  the 
impulse  requisite  to  safety.  Without  a  word,  closely  fol 
lowed  by  his  companion,  Russell,  "  with  his  pistols,  sword 
and  target,  hee  made  such  a  passage  among  the  naked 
divils,  that,  at  his  first  shoot,  they  next  him  tumbled  one 
over  another,  and  the  rest  quickly  fled,  some  one  way, 
some  another."  Our  Captain  was  a  fierce  personage  when 
roused.  His  aspect  was  one  to  inspire  terror.  His  face 
at  ordinary  times — sitting  for  his  portrait,  when  persons 
most  endeavor  to  appear  amiable — wore  a  fierce  gravity  ; 
the  expression  of  which,  when  in  his  wrathful  mood,  must 
have  been  very  imposing  and  convincing  to  timid  per 
sons.  With  this  countenance,  and  the  auxiliar  influence 
of  sword  and  pistol,  he  made  his  way  through  the  discom 
fited  savages,  and  regained  his  soldiers  without  injury. 

Roused  to  anger,  and  at  the  head  of  a  stout  body  of 
well  armed  men,  Smith  was  decidedly  dangerous,  and  it 
was  important  that  Powhatan  should  explain  his  conduct, 
and  put  such  a  construction  upon  his  proceedings  as 
should  disarm  the  wrath  which  he  had  roused.  He  sent 
him,  accordingly,  an  "  ancient  orator,"  who,  prefacing  his 
discourse  with  a  present  of  "  a  great  bracelet  and  a 
chaine  of  perrle,"  spoke  as  follows  : 

"  Captain  Smith,  our  Werowance,  fearing  your  guns, 
and  knowing  when  the  ice  was  broken  you  would  bring 
more  men  upon  him,  has  fled  away  for  safety.  The  men 
whom  you  see  here  were  only  sent  to  take  charge  of  his 
corn,  and  guard  it  from  being  stolen — which  might  happer 
without  your  knowledge.  Though  some  of  his  people 
have  been  hurt  by  your  violence,  yet  Powhatan  st'll 
icmains  your  friend.  Thus  will  he  continue.  And  now, 
since  the  ice  is  open,  he  wills  that  you  send  away  your 


266  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

corn,  and,  if  you  would  have  his  company,  send  away 
your  guns  also.  They  affright  his  people  so  that  they 
dare  not  come  to  you,  as  he  promised  they  should." 

It  was  the  policy  of  Smith,  baffled  in  his  first  object,  to 
maintain  appearances.  Accordingly,  still  observing  the 
utmost  caution,  he  yet  treated  the  savages  with  civility 
and  favor.  They  had  their  motives  of  a  like  character 
for  like  behavior  ;  and  their  attentions  grew  sometimes 
almost  too  oppressive  for  the  forbearance  of  our  Captain. 
While  one  portion  of  them  provided  baskets,  and  con 
veyed  on  board  the  pinnace  the  corn  which  he  had 
bought,  others  were  considerate  enough  to  proffer  their 
services  in  guarding  and  taking  charge  of  the  weapons  of 
the  English  ;  a  proffer  of  service  which  we  need  scarcely 
say  was  gratefully  declined.  These  were  all  "  goodly, 
well-proportioned  fellows,  as  grim  as  divils ;"  in  dealing 
with  whom  it  became  necessary  occasionally  to  make 
such  shows  of  war  as  to  keep  them  in  subordination. 
They  had  learned  to  reverence  the  implements  of  death 
used  by  the  English,  so  that  "  the  very  sight  of  cocking 
our  matches,  and  preparing  to  let  fly,"  would  prompt  them 
"  to  leave  their  bowes  and  arrowes  to  our  guard,  and 
beare  downe  our  corn  on  their  backs.  We  needed  not 
importune  them  to  make  dispatch." 

The  ebb  of  the  tide  having  left  the  barges  of  the  Eng 
lish  on  the  ooze,  they  were  compelled  to  remain  till  higl 
water,  so  that  they  were  easily  persuaded  to  return  to 
their  old  quarters  upon  the  shore  ;  where,  agreeably  to 
instructions  from  their  chief,  the  Indians  employed  all 
the  merry  sports  they  could  devise  to  pacify  the  whites, 
and  disarm  them  of  their  hostility.  The  policy  was  to 
disarm  them  of  their  caution  also.  The  day  was  con 
sumed  in  merriment  and  dancing,  and  with  night  came 
advices  of  a  great  feast  which  Powhatan  was  preparing  to 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  267 

send  them.  With  these  agreeable  assurances,  and  wilr 
the  conviction  that  he  had  impressed  the  enemy  with  a 
reasonable  feeling  of  hib  own  inferiority,  it  might  have 
been  that  Smith  would  have  somewhat  relaxed  in  that 
vigilance  which  had  so  repeatedly  saved  him  before.  But 
the  same  guardian  angel  to  whom  he  already  owed  so 
much,  the  Christian  child  in  a  heathen  household,  Poca 
hontas,  suddenly  made  her  appearance  in  the  wigwam 
where  our  Captain  found  temporary  shelter  with  his  party, 
and  opened  his  eyes  to  the  danger  that  awaited  him. 
Powhatan  had  not  forgiven  him  his  defeats — had  not  for 
given  him  the  mortification  of  that  feeling  of  inferiority 
which  his  heart  had  never  felt  till  Smith  penetrated  his 
territories.  He  burned  with  a  passion  to  procure  the 
head  of  our  hero,  as,  indeed,  the  true  head  of  the  colony 
This  obtained,  the  rest  was  easy.  This,  if  his  own  expe 
rience  had  not  taught  it  him,  was  the  counsel  of  the  trai 
torous  Dutchmen  in  his  employ.  It  was  the  design  of 
Powhatan  to  assail  the  English  while  they  were  gorging 
at  their  feast ;  and  while  his  cooks  were  preparing  the 
dishes  for  his  victims,  his  carvers  were  getting  ready  also. 
But  we  must  let  our  author  tell  his  own  story,  particularly 
as  he  always  seems  to  excel — to  rise  above  himself — in 
those  passages  where  he  speaks  of  Pocahontas. 

"  The  eternal,  all-seeing  God  did  prevent  him  (Pow 
hatan),  and  by  a  strange  meanes.  For  Pocahontas,  his 
dearest  Jewell  and  daughter,  in  that  darke  night  came 
through  the  irksome  woods,  and  tolde  our  Captaine  great 
cheare  should  be  sent  us  by  and  bye  :  but  that  Powhatan, 
and  all  the  power  he  could  make,  would  after  come  and 
kill  us  all,  if  they  that  brought  it  could  not  kill  us  with 
oure  owne  weapons  when  we  were  at  supper.  There 
fore,  if  we  would  live,  shee  wished  us  presently  to  be 
gone." 


26S  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

In  requital  for  this  information  Smith  "  would  have 
given  her  such  -things  as  she  delighted  in,  but  with  the 
teares  running  downe  her  cheekes,  she  said  she  durst  not 
be  seene  to  have  any  ;  for  if  Powhatan  should  know  it 
she  were  but  dead  ;  and  so  she  ranne  away  by  herself  a? 
she  came." 

Nothing,  of  its  kind,  can  well  be  more  touching  than 
this  new  instance  of  deep  sympathy  and  attachment  on 
the  part  of  this  strangely  interesting  forest  child,  for  the 
white  strangers  and  their  captain.  To  him,  indeed,  she 
seems  to  have  been  devoted  with  a  filial  passion  much 
greater  than  that  which  she  felt  for  her  natural  sire.  The 
anecdote  affords  a  melancholy  proof  of  the  little  hold 
which  power,  even  when  rendered  seemingly  secure  by 
natural  ties,  possesses  upon  the  hearts  of  human  beings. 
Here  we  find  the  old  monarch,  who  has  just  declared 
himself  the  survivor  of  three  generations  of  subjects,  be 
trayed  by  his  own  child,  and  by  one  of  his  chiefs,*  while 
in  the  pursuit  of  his  most  cherished  objects.  We  have 
no  reproaches  for  Pocahontas,  and  her  conduct  is  to  be 
justified.  She  obeyed  laws  of  nature  and  humanity,  of 
tenderness  and  love,  which  were  far  superior,  in  their 
force  and  efficacy,  in  a  heart  like  hers,  to  any  which  spring 
simply  from  the  ties  of  blood.  But,  even  though  his  de 
signs  be  ill,  we  cannot  but  regard  the  savage  prince,  in  his 
age  and  infirmities,  thus  betrayed  by  child  and  subject, 
somewhat  as  another  Lear.  He,  too,  was  fond  of  his 
Cordelia.  She  was  "  the  jewel,"  "  the  nonpareil,"  we 
are  told,  of  his  affections.  Well  might  he  exclaim,  with 
the  ancient  Briton,  in  his  hour  of  destruction — 

"  How  sharper  than  a  serpent's  tooth  it  is, 
To  have  a  thankless  child ! " 


*  The  Chief  of  Warraskoyack. 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH  269 

But  of  her  humane  treason,  for  its  motive  was  beyond 
reproach,  Powhatan  knew  nothing.  Smith  kept  her 
secret.  He  was  not  heedless  of  her  intelligence,  the 
truth  of  which  he  had  very  soon  occasion  to  perceive.  In 
less  than  an  hour  after  her  departure,  "  eight  or  ten  lusty 
fellowes,  with  great  platters  of  veaison  and  other  victuall," 
made  their  appearance,  and  invited  them  to  sit  and  eat. 
These  were  very  importunate  with  the  English  to  extin 
guish  their  matches,  the  smoke  of  which,  they  pretended, 
made  them  sick.  But  Smith  maintained  his  precautions  ; 
and,  apprehensive  of  treachery  in  the  preparation  of  the 
food,  he  made  the  Indians  taste  of  every  dish  before  he 
suffered  his  people  to  partake  of  it.  He  then  dismissed 
them,  instructing  them  to  return  to  Powhatan,  and  say 
that  "  he  was  conscious  of  his  purposes  and  ready  for  his 
coming.  For  them,  he  knew  of  the  bloody  task  assigned 
them,  but  would  baulk  them  in  this  and  all  other  villainies. 
They  might  be  gone  !"  Other  messengers  from  Pow 
hatan  followed  these,  at  different  periods  throughout  the 
night.  They  carne  as  spies  to  see  how  the  land  lay,  and 
returned  disquieted,  baffled  by  the  vigilance  of  Smith, 
who  kept  his  men  to  their  arms  all  night.  Nothing  far 
ther  was  attempted  ;  and  the  savages  who  thronged  about 
them,  as  with  the  morning  they  prepared  for  their  depar 
ture,  maintained  a  show  of  friendliness  to  the  last.  Nor 
was  it  deemed  good  policy  to  leave  Powhatan  himself, 
without  endeavoring  to  conciliate  his  suspicions  and  his 
anger.  His  wishes  to  this  effect  being  known,  it  was 
resolved  to  leave  at  Werowocomoco  one  Edward  Brynton, 
whose  occupation  was  to  provide  the  king's  table  with 
wild-fowl. 

It  may  be  thought  somewhat  singular  that,  after  the 
occurrence  of  these  events,  such  a  measure  should  have 
been  adopted  ;  but  we  must  not  forget  that  the  object  was 
18 


270  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

still  to  maintain  appearances  .  that  Smith  as  yet  had  no 
sort  of  idea  of  the  treachery  of  the  Dutchmen  still  em 
ployed  in  Powhatan's  service  ;  and  that  Brynton  waa 
really  an  increase  of  strength  to  the  armed  party  which 
he  left  behind  him,  true  (as  he  thought)  to  his  interest*, 
n  the  very  household  of  his  enemy. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

WK  have  not  hesitated  to  express  our  regret  at  the  design 
of  Captain  Smith  to  seize  the  person  of  Powhatan.  This 
proceeding  is  excused  by  a  regard  to  the  necessities  of  the 
colony,  the  modes  of  thinking  among  military  men  at  that 
period,  and  the  obvious  purpose  of  similar  treachery  with 
regard  to  himself,  which  was  entertained  by  Powhatan. 
The  excuse  is  no  justification,  in  any  examination  upon 
just  principles,  of  the  merits  of  our  hero.  It  must  go  for 
what  it  is  worth.  The  error  must  be  set  down  against  his 
qualities  of  real  merit,  in  proof  of  those  imperfections  of 
character  which  are  found  to  impair  the  integrity,  and 
diminish  the  nobleness  of  the  very  purest  minds.  In  a 
moment  of  extreme  exigency,  when  evidently  nothing 
short  of  this  degree  of  violence  would  suffice  for  the  safety 
of  the  endangered  party,  there  could,  indeed,  be  no  hesita 
tion  in  the  judgment  which  would  declare  in  favor  of  that 
resolution  and  promptness  by  which,  even  though  at  ano 
ther's  hurt,  the  required  assurances  of  safety  were  to  be 
found.  Whether  the  present  was  such  an  exigency,  as 
was  that  of  Cortez  in  Mexico,  is  a  question  which,  in  our 
very  imperfect  knowledge  of  all  the  facts  in  the  situation 
of  Smith,  we  are  not  exactly  prepared  to  determine. 
From  the  details  before  us,  it  would  not  seem  to  be  pro 
perly  classed  among  those  perilous  extremes  of  circum 
stance,  by  which  the  individual  is  permitted,  at  any  sacri 
fice  of  moral  and  social  law,  to  regain  his  securities.  But 
as  it  is  not  our  desire  to  urge  the  perfect  purity  and  integ 
rity  of  ouv  Captain's  character,  we  shall  not  undertake  the 


272         LIFE  OF   CAPTAIN   SMITH. 

unnecessary  labor  of  proving  his  freedom  from  error  in  the 
present  instance.  He  was  a  stout  and  fearless  soldier,  of 
great  courage  and  enterprise,  great  shrewdness,  coolness, 
and  common  sense  ;  full  of  a  rude  spirit  of  chivalry,  that 
was  sometimes  fantastically  virtuous, — but  not  wiser  than 
his  age,  and  not  wholly  free  from  those  faults  and  vices 
which  that  age  was  so  frequently  found  to  sanction.  It 
does  not  appear  that  public  opinion  in  England  found  any 
fault  with  him  for  this  attempt  upon  the  person  of  the 
Indian  emperor.  If  it  did,  it  was  rather  in  consequence 
of  his  failure  than  his  attempt.  We,  at  all  events,  are  not 
sorry  that  he  failed.  The  character  and  conduct  of  Pow- 
hatan  are  such  as  entitle  him  to  our  respect  and  sympathy ; 
and  though  we  forbear  to  censure  his  English  adversary, 
we  are  not  unwilling  that  the  savage  chieftain  should  still 
exhibit  that  rare  of  his  subjects,  that  vigilant  guardianship 
of  his  territory,  by  which  we  are  made  to  esteem  the 
sovereign,  even  though  in  the  dusky  leader  of  a  heathen 
tribe. 

Smith  had  scarcely  set  sail  from  Werowocomoco,  before 
Powhatan  reappeared.  He  had  timely  notice  of  all  his 
movements,  and  with  his  departure,  he  despatched  two 
of  the.  Dutchmen  with  all  haste  to  Jamestown.  The 
scheme  of  these  men  was  probably  suggested  by  them 
selves,  by  their  knowledge  of  the  habits  of  the  colonists, 
and  of  the  pretences  by  which  they  could  be  most  easily 
imposed  upon.  By  this  scheme,  they  proposed  not  only 
to  find  favor  in  the  sight  of  Powhatan,  but  to  gratify  their 
own  cupidity.  The  king  had  set  his  affections  upon  an 
English  armory.  Whether  this  was  a  mere  passion  of 
his  taste,  or  was  meant  to  promote  his  purposes  for  the 
expulsion  of  the  whites,  must  be  left  to  conjecture.  Both 
motives  may  be  found  at  work  compelling  his  desires  ;  in 
obedience  to  which  our  Dutchmen,  presenting  themselwi 


L  I  >   E    O  F     CAPTAIN      SMITH.  273 

to  Captain  Wynne,  before  Smith  could  possibly  return, 
assured  him  that  everything  was  going  on  well  ;  that 
Smith  having  use  for  their  arms  had  sent  them  for  others  ; 
for  tools,  for  clothes,  and  other  commodities,  all  of  which 
were  readily  yielded  them.  Their  cunning  enabled  them 
to  effect  an  arrangement  with  six  or  seven  seamen,  who 
became  their  confederates  in  the  appropriation  of  goods. 
By  these  they  were  soon  furnished  with  everything  that 
could  be  stolen  easily — with  swords  and  pike-heads,  guns, 
shot,  powder,  and  the  like — by  which  the  wishes  of  Pow- 
hatan  for  the  English  weapons  were  very  tolerably  grati 
fied.  The  number  of  Indians  always  prowling  about  the 
fort,  furnished  great  facilities  for  the  conveyance  to  their 
king  of  the  commodities  thus  stolen.  By  these  means, 
and  the  assistance  of  one  of  the  Dutchmen,  who  seems  to 
have  been  a  blacksmith,  he  soon  accumulated  eight  guns, 
as  many  pikes,  fifty  swords,  and  three  hundred  hatchets  ; 
such  a  treasure  as  few  Indian  sovereigns  of  America  were 
ever  known  to  possess.  Brynton  and  Richard  Salvage, 
two  of  the  Englishmen  in  his  employ,  observing  the  readi 
ness  with  which  *he  accumulated  these  weapons,  and  the 
great  diligence  which  the  Dutchmen  betrayed  in  procuring 
them  for  him,  became  alarmed  as  much  for  their  own 
as  the  safety  of  the  colony,  and  made  an  effort  to  escape  ; 
but  were  detected,  pursued,  brought  back,  and  kept  for 
some  time  in  momentary  apprehension  of  death. 

Our  Captain,  meanwhile,  was  leisurely  pursuing  his 
way,  seeking  provisions  at  the  different  settlements  along 
the  river.  Having  arrived  at  Pamunkey,  the  seat  of  Ope- 
chancanough,  who  was  a  brother  to  Powhatan,  either  by 
blood  or  by  adoption,  they  were  received  and  for  several 
days  entertained  hospitably,  with  mirth  and  feasting.  A 
day  was  set  aside  for  trade,  of  which  the  surrounding 
country  was  properly  apprised,  Leaving  his  boats  on  tnis 


274  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

occasion,  Smith,  with  fifteen  others,  went  up  to  the  village 
of  the  chief,  ahout  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  river, 
which,  to  their  surprise,  they  found  entirely  abandoned 
by  the  people,  and  stript  of  all  its  goods  and  furniture. 
Such  a  proceeding  looked  exceedingly  suspicious,  particu 
larly  on  a  day  set  apart  for  trade,  when,  instead  of  being 
abandoned,  the  settlement  should  have  shown  all  the  life 
and  bustle  of  a  market-town  in  fairing  time.  But  the 
strangers  had  not  long  been  present  before  the  chief  arriv 
ed,  followed  by  a  stout  band  of  warriors.  These  brought 
with  them  bows  and  arrows  in  abundance,  but  such  a 
trifling  supply  of  provisions,  and  those  charged  for  at  such 
enormous  prices,  that  our  Captain  readily  conceived  that 
they  were  to  be  used  only  as  a  bait,  by  which  to  delude 
their  customers.  This  extorted  from  him  the  following 
remonstrance  : 

"  Opechancanough,  the  great  love  you  professe  with 
your  tongue,  seemes  meere  deceet  by  your  actions.  Last 
yeare  you  kindly  fraughted  our  ship  ;  but  now  you  invite 
me  to  starve  with  hunger.  You  know  my  want,  and  I 
your  plenty  ; — of  which,  by  some  meanes,  I  must  have 
part.  Remember,  it  is  fit  for  kings  to  keepe  their  pro 
mise.  Here  are  my  commodities.  Take  your  choice. 
What  remains  I  will  sell  in  fair  bargains  to  your  people." 

Opechancanough  took  this  speech  in  good  part,  and  the 
corn  which  had  been  brought  was  disposed  of  to  the  whites 
on  terms  which  they  thought  reasonable.  The  Indian 
chief  promised  the  next  day  that  the  supplies  should  be 
more  satisfactory.  Accordingly,  at  the  usual  hour,  Smith, 
with  his  fifteen  men,  once  more  proceeded  to  the  dwell 
ing  of  the  chief.  Here  they  found  a  few  persons  newly 
arrived  with  their  baskets.  Opechancanough  soon  made 
his  appearance  ;  but  it  was  observed  that  his  courtesies 
and  cheerfulness  seemed  straine  '  and  unnatural.  He  was 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  275 

at  some  pains  to  assure  them  of  the  trouble  he  had  taken 
in  having  supplies  brought  in  ;  but  even  while  he  spoke, 
news  was  brought  to  Smith,  by  Mr-  Russell,  that  they 
were  betrayed,  for  that  the  house  was  surrounded  by  no 
less  than  seven  hundred  armed  savages.  The  chief  saw 
that  his  plot  was  discovered,  and  betrayed  his  intentions 
by  his  anxiety  and  fear.  Smith's  own  followers  exhibited 
signs  of  dismay,  but  were  encouraged  by  their  leader  in 
the  following  language : 

,  "  My  worthy  countrymen,"  said  he,  "  were  the  mis- 
chiefe  from  my  seeming  friends  no  greater  than  our  danger 
from  these  enemies,  I  should  not  care  were  they  as  many 
more.  But  it  is  my  torment,  that,  though  I  may  escape 
from  these,  our  worthy  councill,  with  their  open-mouthed 
minions,  will  make  me  such  a  peace-breaker  in  the  opi 
nion  of  those  in  England,  as  will  breake  my  necke.  I 
could  wish  those  persons  to  be  here  now,  that  make  these 
seeme  saints,  and  me  an  oppressor.  But  this  is  the  worst 
of  all,  wherein  I  pray  you  to  aid  me  with  your  opinions. 
Shoulde  we  beginne  with  them  and  surprise  the  king,  we 
cannot  keepe  him  well,  and  at  the  same  time  defend  our 
selves.  If  we  should  cache  kill  our  man,  and  disperse  the 
rest,  we  should  still  starve  for  victuall,  getting  nothing 
more  than  the  bodies  that  are  slaine.  As  for  their  fury, 
that  is  the  least  danger,  for  well  you  know,  that,  being 
alone  assaulted  with  two  or  three  hundred  of  them,  I  made 
them,  by  the  helpe  of  God,  compound  to  save  my  life. 
Arid  wee  are  sixteene,  and  they  but  seaven  hundred  at  the 
most ;  assure  yourselves,  therefore,  that  if  you  dare  stand 
but  as  I  doe,  to  discharge  your  peeces,  the  very  smoke 
will  e  sufficient  to  affright  them.  Yet,  howsoever,  let 
us  fight  like  men,  not  die  like  sheepe.  By  such  meanes, 
you  know,  God  hath  oft  delivered  mee,  and  will,  I  trust, 
doe  so  now.  But  first  let  mee  deale  with  them,  to  bring 


276  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

it  to  passe.  We  may  fight  for  something,  and  draw  them 
to  it  by  conditions.  If  you  like  this  motion,  promise  me 
you  will  be  valiant." 

This  speech,  so  cool  and  confident,  reasvsured  his  men.. 
They  swore  to  follow  him,  and  do  as  he  commanded. 
The  time  did  not  permit  much  argument,  and  we  must 
suppose  that  they  kept  the  Indian  chief  in  a  tacit  sort  of 
custody  while  this  discussion  proceeded.  This  over,  our 
Captain  turned  to  him,  and  said  :  "I  see,  Opechancanough, 
your  plot  to  murder  me,  but  I  feare  it  not.  As  yet,  yours 
men  and  mine  have  done  no  harme,  but  by  our  direction 
Take,  therefore,  your  weapons.  You  see  mine.  My 
body  shall  bee  as  naked  as  yours.  The  island  in  your 
river  is  a  fit  place,  if  you  be  contended.  There  let  us  two 
tight  it  out,  and  the  survivor  shall  be  lord  and  master  over 
ail  our  men.  If  you  have  not  enough,  take  time  to  fetch 
more,  and  bring  what  number  you  will.  Only  let  your 
men  bring,  each  of  them,  a  basket  of  come,  against  all  of 
which  I  will  stake  the  value  in  copper,  and  the  conqueror 
shall  take  the  whole." 

This  was  in  the  true  spirit  of  chivalry.  It  reminds  us 
of  our  hero  before  the  walls  of  Regall.  It  is  evident  he 
thought  of  adding  the  head  of  Gpechancanough  to  those 
of  the  three  Turks  already  emblazoned  on  his  shield. 
But  to  this  the  Indian  chief  was  no  ways  inclined.  His 
notions  of  war  implied  no  such  unnecessary  personal  risks. 
He  preferred  the  subtler  game  which  he  had  begun  to 
play,  and  was  evidently  disposed  to  forego  none  of  his 
advantages.  Still,  he  disclaimed  hostility,  professed 
nothing  but  friendship,  and,  to  prove  it,  invited  Smith  to 
go  with  him  to  the  entrance  of  the  cabin,  where  he  had  a 
great  present  in  waiting  for  him.  This  was  a  bait  to  draw 
mm  into  an  ambush  of  two  hundred  ;  thirty  others  lying 
concealed  behind  a  {alien  tree,  each,  with  his  arrow  ready 


LIFE      OF      '     \   :'  T  A  f  N      S  M  I  T  H  .  277 

on  the  string.  Commanding  one  of  his  men  to  receive 
this  present,  Smith  himself  refused  to  go.  The  rest  of 
his  party  volunteered  to  do  so.  But  he  would  not  suffer 
this.  He  was  in  no  mood  for  farther  trifling.  Satisfied 
of  the  treachery  of  Opechancanough,  he  resolved  to  bring 
the  matter  to  such  an  issue  as  would  reconcile  all  the 
inequalities  of  numbers.  Accordingly,  commanding  "Lieu 
tenant  Percie,  Master  West,  and  the  rest,  to  make  good 
the  house,"  he  ordered  two  others  to  guard  the  door ; 
then,  suddenly  seizing  upon  the  long  scalp-lock  of  the 
Indian  chief,  who  in  size  was  a  giant  to  our  Captain,  he 
dragged  him  from  amidst  the  circle  of  forty  or  fifty  war 
riors  by  whom  he  was  encircled,  and  clapped  a  loaded 
pistol  to  his  breast.  This  boldness  paralyzed  the  chief 
and  all  his  captains,  and  in  this  manner  Smith  drew 
him  forth,  in  the  sight  of  all  his  people,  holding  him  in  a 
sort  of  security  for  the  forbearance  of  his  followers.  The 
effect  was  magical.  Accustomed  to  venerate  as  sacred  the 
persons  of  their  sovereigns,  they  regarded  with  awe  the 
individual  who  could  thus  profane  them  without  dread  of 
punishment.  They  dropped  their  weapons  at  the  humili 
ating  spectacle.  Their  chief  had  already  yielded  his — 
u  delivering  to  the  Captaine  his  vambrace,  bow  and 
arrowes,"  and  offering  his  tribute  in  a  sober  "  sadnesse," 
which  declared  his  shame  and  apprehensions,  if  not  his 
compunction.  With  his  hand  still  wreathed  in  his  hair, 
Smith  summoned  the  subjects  of  his  prisoner  about  him, 
and  gave  them  a  speech  after  his  usual  fashion. 

"  I  see,  you  Pamaunkees,"  he  said,  u  the  great  desire 
you  have  to  kill  me  ;  and  my  long  suffering  your  injuries 
hath  emboldened  you  to  this  presumption.  The  cause 
which  has  made  me  forbear  your  insolence  is  the  promise 
I  made  you,  before  the  God  I  serve,  to  be  your  friend  till 
you  give  me  just  cause  to  be  your  enemy.  I£.I  keepc  this 


278         LIFE   OF  CAPTAIN   SMITH. 

vow,  my  God  will  keepe  me,  and  you  cannot  do  me  hurt 
If  I  break  it,  he  will  destroy  me.  But  if  you  shoot  but 
one  arrow  to  shed  the  blood  of  any  of  my  men,  or  steale 
the  least  of  these  beads  and  copper,  which  now  lie  at  my 
feet,  I  will  not  cease  revenge  so  long  as  there  is  one.  of 
your  nation  to  answer  to  the  name  of  Pamaunkee.  I  am 
not  now  at  Rassaweak,  half  drowned  with  myre,  as  when 
you  took  me  prisoner  ;  yet  for  your  good  usage,  and  spar 
ing  of  me  then,  I  so  affect  you,  that  your  denyals  of  your 
trechery  doe  halfe  persuade  me  to  mistake  myselfe.  But 
if  I  be  the  marke  you  ayme  at,  here  I  stand,  shoot  he  that 
dare.  You  promised  to  fraught  rny  ship  ere  I  departed, 
and  so  you  shall,  or  I  will  load  her  with  your  dead  carca 
ses.  Yet,  if  as  friends  you  will  come  and  trade  with  me, 
I  will  not  trouble  you.  Your  king  shall  be  free,  and  shall 
be  my  friend,  for  1  am  not  come  for  the  hurt  of  him,  or  of 
any  among  you." 

The  condition  in  which  he  kept  their  king  made  them 
very  placable.  They  yielded  ready  obedience  to  his 
requisitions,  and  men,  women  and  children,  brought  in 
the  supplies,  in  such  abundance,  that  our  Captain,  already 
greatly  fatigued,  was  tired  of  receiving  them.  Leaving 
this  duty  to  two  of  his  men,  and  having  released  his  cap 
tive,  he  withdrew  into  one  of  the  cabins  for  the  purpose 
of  repose.  Meanwhile,  the  guard  became  remiss,  and,  too 
soon  assured  of  the  docility  of  the  savages,  were  soon 
carelessly  dispersed  among  them.  The  latter  resumed 
their  weapons,  and  Smith,  vigilant  even  in  sleep,  was 
awakened  to  find  forty  or  fifty  of  their  choice  warriors 
pressing  into  the  apartment  where  he  slept,  each  armed 
with  a  heavy  \var  club,  or  an  English  sword.  The  haste 
with  which  their  entrance  was  made  fortunately  awakened 
him  in  season.  "  Halfe  amazed  with  this  suddaine  sight. 
he  betooke  hin:  straight  to  his  sword  and  target ;  Mr 


LIFE     OF     CAFTAIN     SMITH.  27S 

Crashaw  and  some  others  charged  in  like  manner,"  and 
the  house  was  soon  clearea  of  the  intruders.  The  king 
apologized,  in  a  long  speech,  for  the  intrusion  ;  and  his 
people  found  it  advisable  to  assume  the  virtue  of  good 
humor  and  good  fellowship  with  the  powerful  stranger 
whom  they  so  vainly  strove  to  circumvent,  even  if  they 
felt  it  not.  Their  attempts  upon  him  had  invariably 
resulted  in  their  own  defeat  and  disaster ;  and  our  hero 
had  the  genuine  English  shrewdness  always  to  exact  a 
profit  for  his  people  from  all  the  failures  of  their  enemies. 
He  knew  how  to  make  them  pay  the  expenses  of  the 
war. 

It  was  while  our  Captain  was  thus  exploring  the  coun 
try  for  supplies,  to  g  ard  against  famine  in  the  colony,  that 
a  melancholy  event  happened  at  the  fort.  It  seems  that 
Mr.  Scrivener,  whom  Smith  had  hitherto  been  always 
disposed  to  favor,  had  somewhat  declined  in  affection 
towards  the  President,  and  under  that  sinister  influence 
which,  in  England  and  the  colony,  had  always  stubbornly 
fought  against  the  influence  of  our  hero,  had  at  length 
determined  to  set  up  in  some  measure  for  himself.  Ac 
cordingly,  in  order  to  exercise  something  like  a  separate 
command,  he  took  advantage  of  Smith's  absence  to  visit  a 
contiguous  island  ;  with  what  object  in  view  is  not  men 
tioned.  He  succeeded  in  persuading  Captain  Waldo  to 
join  him,  though  Waldo  had  been  especially  charged  by 
Smith  not  to  be  absent  from  the  fort,  but  to  be  in  readi 
ness  to  second  his  performances.  Scrivener,  with  Waldo, 
Gosnold,  and  eight  others,  embarked  on  the  enterprise. 
The  weather  was  extremely  cold,  the  river  partly  frozen, 
and  the  wind  violent.  The  boat  was  swamped,  and  all 
in  her  were  drowned.  The  bodies  were  recovered  by  the 
savages,  from  whom  came  the  first  intelligence  to  the  fort 
of  the  sad  disaster.  There,  nobody  could  be  found  to 


280  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

convey  the  melancholy  tidings  to  the  President,  then  sup 
posed  to  be  still  at  VV'erowocd^loco,  until  a  l.»rave  fellow, 
named  Richard  Wyffin,  undertook,  alone,  the  performance 
of  this  mission.  It  was  one  of  many  difficulties  and  dan 
gers.  He  first  proceeded  to  the  dwelling  of  Powhatan, 
where  he  lodged  that  night.  Here,  not  finding  the  Presi 
dent,  and  perceiving  the  great  preparations  which  Powhatan 
was  making  for  war,  his  worst  fears  were  aroused  for  his 
own  and  the  safety  of  the  persons  whom  he  sought.  And 
the  danger  seems  to  have  been  pressing  in  his  own 
instance.  But  for  the  interference  of  Poc^ontas — who 
seems  to  have  been  always  present  when  the  duty  of 
an  angel  was  to  be  done — he  might  have  f?nen  a  victim 
to  his  generous  zeal.  "  Pocahontas  hid  him  for  a  time, 
and  sent  those  who  pursued  him  the  cleane  contrary  way 
to  seeke  him  ;  but  by  her  meanes,  and  extraordinary 
bribes,  and  much  trouble,  in  three  dayes  travell  at  length 
ne  ^ind  us  in  the  middest  of  these  turmoyles."  Swear 
ing  Wyffin  to  secresy,  and  dissembling  his  own  grief,  so 
that  his  company  should  not  be  seen  to  despond  while 
among  their  enemies,  Smith  went  aboard  his  vessel,  leav 
ing  Opechancanough  free  the  night  that  he  received 
these  tidings.  That  he  left  this  powerful  chief  at  liberty, 
was  only  with  the  view  the  more  successful!^  to  strike  at 
higher  game.  He  felt  that,  though  there  was  no  avowed 
war  between  Powhatan  and  himself,  their  r:  'ations  were, 
nevertheless,  sufficiently  hostile  to  justify  the  prosecution 
of  his  first  design  ;  and  his  experience,  befor  returning  to 
Jamestown,  was  of  a  sort  to  confirm  him  in  this  purpose. 
He  was  advised  that  the  Indian  emperor  h,*J  issued  his 
commands  to  his  subjects,  to  procure  his  death  by  all 
means  in  their  power  j  and  the  poor  savages,  in  obedience 
to  these  orders,  had  baited  the  shores  with  grain  ;  which, 
however,  he  was  not  suffered  to  approach,  unless  by  leav- 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  28 1 

ing  behind  him  all  his  weapons.  The  first  show  of  his 
coming,  gun  in  hand,  was  the  signal  for  carrying  their 
baskets  out  of  sight  They  affected  to  have  come  unarm 
ed,  simply  for  the  purposes  of  trade,  though  with  such  a 
people  and  in  such  a  country,  it  was  well  known  that 
every  bush  and  tree  would  afford  a  sufficient  armory  of 
arrows  for  their  Parthian  multitudes.  Still,  they  preferred 
approaching  him  in  a  peaceful  aspect.  Such  was  their 
terror  of  his  prowess  that,  but  for  the  commands  of  their 
sovereign,  the  idea  of  meeting  him  in  conflict  was  as 
"  hateful  to  them  as  hanging."  And  thus  the  parties 
gazed  wistfully  upon  each  other,  the  one  from  the  shore, 
the  other  from  the  river — they  upon  Smith's  weapons,  and 
he  upon  their  baskets  of  corn.  But  when  he  saw  them 
beginning  to  depart  with  their  produce,  "  being  unwilling 
to  lose  such  hootie,"  he  so  judiciously  disposed  the  pin 
nace  and  barges,  as  to  enable  the  party  on  board  to  form 
a  cover  to  his  men,  while  he,  and  three  others,  armed,  took 
a  party  ashore,  unarmed,  to  receive  the  corn  they  brought. 
The  Indians  <(  flocked  before  him  in  heapes,  and  the  banke 
serving  as  a  trench  for  retreat,  he  drew  them  fayre  open 
to  his  ambuscadoes."  Opechancanough,  knowing  his 
party  to  be  mostly  unarmed,  came  down  upon  him  with 
two  or  three  hundred  men,  marching  in  u  the  forme  of 
two  halfe  moones,"  the  better  to  enclose  the  English 
They  brought  with  them  some  twenty  men  and  several 
women,bearing  painted  baskets.  As  they  drew  nigh,  and 
when  they  thought  that  the  bait  had  taken,  and  that  they 
had  sufficiently  environed  the  whites,  the  persons,  men 
and  women,  bearing  the  e;rain,  threw  down  their  baskets 
and  fled.  But  the  fear  of  the  assailants,  even  when  they 
thought  their  purpose  sure,  was  such  as  scarcely  to  suffer 
them  to  fix  their  shafts  upon  the  string.  Just  then,  as  if 
in  mercy,  Smith  gave  the  signal  to  his  party  in  ambush. 


282  LIFE    OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

and  they  showed  themselves  without  firing  a  shot.  Ai 
this  sight  the  savages  took  to  flight,  "  esteeming  their 
heeles  for  their  best  advantage."  We  are  permitted  to 
suppose  that  Smith  providently  gathered  up  the  scattered 
baskets. 

Powhatan  had  truly  described  the  terrors  with  which 
our  Captain  had  inspired  the  savages,  when  he  said,  if  a 
twig  was  heard  to  break  in  the  forest,  they  cried  out, 
"  here  comes  Captain  Smith."  Fearing  to  meet  him  in 
battle,  failing  to  delude  him  by  their  artifices,  they  attempt 
ed  his  destruction  by  practices  which  we  have  not  often 
been  wont  to  ascribe  to  our  aborigines.  Sending  down 
one  of  his  vessels,  probably  with  the  supplies  he  had  pro 
cured,  to  Jamestown,  he  still  remained  in  the  neighbor 
hood  of  Pamunkee,  in  which  there  was  still  an  abundance 
of  provision  which  he  hoped  to  secure  by  barter.  The 
Indians,  under  new  professions  of  terror  and  friendship, 
came  in  and  expressed  a  willingness  to  freight  his  vessel, 
in  order  to  disarm  his  hostility.  They  believed,  or  pre 
tended  to  believe,  that  he  had  despatched  one  of  his  boats 
for  fresh  supplies  of  men.  In  this  mood,  whether  sincere 
or  feigned,  they  employed  themselves  for  five  or  six  days 
in  bringing  in  grain,  through  frost  and  snow,  on  their  naked 
backs,  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  In  the  meantime, 
Smith  and  several  of  his  party  found  themselves  poisoned 
by  some  of  the  dainties  with  which  the  savages  had  sup 
plied  them.  But  their  art  was  not  equal  to  their  malice. 
The  poison  sickened  the  whites,  but  was  expelled,  without 
proving  fatal  in  a  single  instance.  Wecuttanow^  a  stout 
young  Indian,  finding  himself  suspected  of  the  crime,  and 
being  surrounded  by  forty  or  fifty  of  his  companions  at  a 
moment  when  Smith  had  but  a  few  men  about  him,  brav 
ed  him  with  a  good  deal  of  insolence.  But  our  Captain, 
not  regarding  the  inequality  of  numbers,  promptly  laid  hii 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  2S3 

cudgel  over  the  shoulders  of  the  savage,  and  kicked  him 
out  of  sight,  "  as  scorning  to  doe  him  any  worse  mis- 
chiefe."  This  drove  his  companions  into  the  woods, 
"  thinking  they  had  done  a  great  matter  to  have  so  well 
escaped." 

In  this  tour  in  search  of  provisions,  our  Captain  explored 
the  "  countries  of  Youghtanund  and  Mattapanient,  where 
the  people  imparted  what  little  they  had  with  such  com 
plaints  and  tears  from  the  eyes  of  women  and  children," 
as  would  have  moved  with  compassion  any  Christian 
heart.  Yet  had  the  search  been  made  in  October,  No 
vember  and  December,  or  when  Newport  was  making  his 
idle  discovery  of  the  country  of  the  Monacans,  there 
would  have  been  no  sort  of  difficulty  in  procuring  all  the 
provisions  they  required.  "  Men  may  thinke  it  strange," 
says  our  author,  in  a  passage  that  would  seem  to  be  apolo 
getic  in  its  object,  "  that  there  should  be  such  a  strive  for 
a  little  come,  but  had  it  been  gold  with  more  ease  we 
might  have  got  it ;  and  had  it  lacked,  the  whole  colony 
had  starved."  Such  an  exigency,  which  the  forethought 
of  the  President  soon  perceived,  may  well  be  urged  in 
extenuation  of  proceedings  which  might  otherwise  seem 
rather  harsh  than  decisive. 


CHAPTER    X. 

[T  was  somewhat  with  the  view  of  disarming  the  caution 
of  Powhatan,  that  our  Captain  treated  the  people  of  Ope- 
chancanough  with  so  much  indulgence.  To  seem  on 
friendly  terms  with  them,  and  to  linger  with  the  apparent 
view  to  trade,  was  to  lessen  the  suspicions  of  the  empe 
ror,  and  keep  him  still  at  Werowocomoco.  Believing 
this  object  to  have  been  attained,  Smith,  on  leaving  Pa- 
munkee,  suddenly  turned  his  prow  up  the  river,  and 
once  more  sought  the  habitation  of  Powhatan  ;  resolved 
on  effecting,  if  possible,  his  original  design  of  surprising 
him  in  the  midst  of  his  provisions.  Approaching  the  town 
in  secret,  he  sent  two  of  his  party,  "  Mr.  Wyffin,  and  Mr. 
Coe,"  ashore  to  discover  and  make  way  for  his  intended 
project.  "  Those  damned  Dutchmen,"  says  our  indig 
nant  author,  "  had  caused  Powhatan  to  abandon  his  new 
house  and  Werowocomoco,  and  to  carry  away  all  his  corn 
and  provision."  Such  also  was  the  ill-feeling  for  the 
whites  whom  he  had  left  behind  him,  that  the  two  emissa 
ries  of  Smith  were  in  some  doubt  whether  they  should 
escape  with  their  lives.  Baffled  in  his  scheme,  and  seeing 
that  nothing  more  was  to  be  obtained  in  this  neighborhood, 
he  returned  with  all  possible  speed  to  Jamestown,  carry 
ing  with  him  two  hundred  pounds  of  deer  suet,  and  nearly 
five  hundred  bushels  of  corn  ;  all  of  which  was  procured 
at  a  cost  of  twenty-five  pounds'  weight  of  copper,  and  fifty 
of  beads  and  iron. 

Here,  at  the  close  of  this  expedition,  our  author  deems 
it  necessary  to  excuse  the  gentleness  and  great  forbear- 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  285 

ance  which  Smith  exhibited  in  thus  dealing  with  the 
savages,  and  thus  shows  us  the  difficulty  of  applying  the 
social  and  moral  standards  of  the  present  time  to  the  con 
duct  of  that  period.  "  These  temporizing  proceedings  to 
some  may  seeme  too  charitable  to  such  a  daily  daring, 
trecherous  people :  to  others  not  pleasing  that  we  washed 
not  the  ground  with  their  blouds,  nor  showed  such  strange 
inventions  in  mangling,  murdering,  ransacking  and  destroy 
ing  (as  did  the  Spanyards)  the  simple  bodies  of  such  igno 
rant  soules  ;  nor  delightful,  because  not  stuffed  with  rela 
tions  of  heapes  and  mynes  of 'gold  and  silver  ;  nor  such 
rare  commodities  as  the  Portugals  and  Spanyards  found  RI 
the  East  and  West  Indies.  *  *  *  It  was  the  Span- 
yards  good  hap  to  happen  in  parts  where  such  was  the 
number  of  people  as  to  enable  them  so  to  improve  the 
earth  that  it  afforded  food  at  all  seasons.  And  time  had 
brought  their  arts  to  so  much  perfection  as  to  give  them 
the  free  use  of  gold  and  silver,  together  with  the  most  of 
those  commodities  which  the  country  was  able  to  afford. 
What  the  Spanyard  got  was  chiefly  the  spoyle  and  pillage 
of  the  people,  and  not  the  labours  of  their  owne  hands. 
But  had  those  fruitful  countries  beene  as  salvage,  as  bar 
barous,  as  ill-peopled,  as  little  planted,  laboured  and  ma 
nured  as  Virginia,  it  is  likely  that  their  labours  would 
have  brought  as  little  profit  as  our  owne.  Had  Virginia 
beene  so  peopled,  and  so  adorned  with  such  store  of  pre 
cious  Jewells  and  rich  commodities  as  the  Indies,  then, 
indeed,  might  the  world  have  traduced  us  and  our  merits, 
and  have  made  shame  and  infamy  our  reward,  had  we  not 
gotten  and  done  as  much  as  by  their  (the  Spaniards)  exam 
ples  might  properly  be  expected  from  us.  *  *  *  But 
we  chanced  in  a  land  even  as  God  made  it,  where  we 
found  only  an  idle,  improvident  and  scattered  people, 
ignorant  of  the  knowledge  of  gold  and  silver,  and  carelesse 
19 


286  LIFE      OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

of  any  thing  but  from  hand  to  mouth.  Nothing  was  here 
to  encourage  us  but  what  nature  afforded.  And  this 

O 

could  not  be  brought  to  recompense  our  paines,  defray  our 
charges,  and  satisfie  our  adventurers,  until  we  could  dis 
cover  the  countrey,  subdue  the  people,  bring  them  to  be 
tractable,  civill  and  industrious,  and  teach  them  trades, 
so  that  the  fruits  of  their  labors  might  make  us  some 
return  ;  or  until  we  could  plant  such  colonies  of  our 
owne,  whose  first  necessity  wrould  be  to  make  provision 
how  to  live  themselves.  *  *  *  But  to  conclude,  I 
onely  say  this  for  those  that  the  three  first  yeares  began 
this  plantation  ;  notwithstanding  all  their  factions,  muti 
nies  and  miseries,  so  gently  corrected,  and  well  prevent 
ed  ;"  let  them  peruse  the  histories  of  Spanish  conquest 
and  discovery,  "  and  tell  me  how  many  ever  with  such 
small  meanes  as  a  barge  of  22  tons,  sometimes  with  sea- 
ven,  eight  or  nine,  or  but  at  most,  twelve  or  sixteene 
men,  did  ever  discover  so  many  fayre  and  navigable  rivers, 
subject  so  many  severall  kings,  people  and  nations  to 
obedience  and  contribution,  and  all  with  so  little  bloud- 
shed." 

The  boast  contained  in  this  passage  is  an  equally  hono 
rable  and  becoming  one.  It  is  truly  astonishing  how  much 
was  done  by  the  prudence  and  forethought  of  this  man  ; 
by  his  coolness  and  steady  courage,  and  real  benevolence  ; 
and  how  much  was  forborne  of  crime  and  bloodshed,  which 
had  been  sure  to  follow,  in  such  a  country,  and  dealing 
with  such  a  people,  had  the  leader  been  wanton  in  the 
use  of  power,  profligate  of  human  life,  and  not  properly 
considerate  of  the  feeble  and  simple  savages  whom  it  was 
his  fortune  to  encounter.  And  the  moral  of  his  progress 
is  to  be  found  in  the  statement  here  contained  of  his  gene 
ral  principles  :  to  "  discover  the  countrey,  subdue  the  peo 
ple,  bring  them  to  be  tractable,  civill  and  industrious ;"  in 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  287 

order  that  the  resources  of  their  own  nature,  and  the  vir 
tues  of  the  soil  and  climate,  might  at  once  be  brought  into 
just  fruition.  And  this  is  the  highest  purpose  of  human 
benevolence.  We  are  to  judge  of  a  hero's  claims,  not  by 
this  or  that  single  scheme  or  action — call  it  crime  and 
error  if  you  please — but  by  what  he  has  forborne  of 
crime  and  error,  and  what  he  has  resisted  of  temptation. 
Thus  examined,  the  deeds  and  enterprises  of  Smith  will 
honorably  compare  with  those  of  any  hero  to  be  found  in 
the  progress  of  a  commercial  age  and  people.  To  have 
done  so  much  with  so  little  ;  in  the  teeth  of  discontent 
and  faction ;  with  foes  without,  and  treachery  within 
the  settlement ;  with  so  much  provocation  to  anger  and 
severity,  yet  with  so  great  toleration  and  pity  for  the 
offender  ;  so  much  firmness  with  so  much  mercy ;  and 
such  various  resource  against  such  and  so  many  unlooked 
for  annoyances  and  disasters  ; — sufficiently  establishes  to 
posterity  the  high  and  remarkable  endowments  and  merits 
of  our  subject.  But  the  facts  in  his  career  need  no  illus 
trative  commentary.  They  speak  for  themselves. 

Returning  to  Jamestown,  and  making  a  general  exami 
nation  into  the  affairs  of  the  colony,  he  found  no  reason 
to  be  satisfied  with  the  doings  of  those  he  left  behind  him. 
Their  tools  and  weapons  were  lost  or  stolen  ;  the  provi 
sion  in  store  had  been  suffered  to  rot,  was  half  destroyed 
by  worms  and  rats,  and  in  such  condition  that  the  hogs 
would  scarcely  eat  it.  Fortunately,  it  was  found,  upon 
due  calculation,  that  the  supplies  which  he  had  just  pro 
cured  would  suffice  until  the  next  harvest.  With  the 
dread  of  famine  at  an  end  for  the  present,  all  care  about 
procuring  provision  was  abandoned,  and  the  whole  com 
pany  was  divided  into  squads  often  or  fifteen,  and  assigned 
to  the  necessary  duties  of  the  colony.  Six  hours  each 
day  were  devoted  to  their  tasks,  the  rest  in  pastimes  and 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

merry  exercises.  But  such  was  the  untowardness  :>f 
many  among  them,  to  whom  labor  was  equally  new  and 
irksome,  that  our  President  was  compelled  to  give  them 
sharp  counsel  after  his  peculiar  fashion. 

"  Countrymen,"  he  said,  u  the  long  experience  of  oui 
late  miseries,  I  hope,  is  sufficient  to  persuade  every  one  to 
a  present  correction  of  himselfe.  Thinke  not  that  either 
my  paines,  nor  the  adventurers'  purses,  will  ever  maintain 
you  in  idlesse  and  sloathe.  I  speake  not  this  to  you  all, 
for  divers  of  you  I  know  deserve  both  honor  and  reward, 
much  better  than  is  here  to  be  had  ;  but  the  greater  part 
must  be  more  industrious  or  starve ;  however  you  have 
been  heretofore  tollerated  by  the  authoritie  of  the  Coun- 
cell.  You  see  now  that  power  resteth  wholly  in  myselfe. 
You  must  obey  this  now  for  a  law,  that  he  that  will  not 
work  (except  by  sicknesse  he  is  disabled)  shall  not  eate. 
The  labours  of  thirtie  or  fortie  honest  and  industrious  men 
shall  not  be  consumed  to  maintain  an  hundred  and  fiftie 
idle  lovterers.  And  though  you  presume  the  authoritie 

*/  O          v  X 

here  is  but  a  shadow,  and  that  I  daro  not  touch  the  lives 
of  any  lest  my  owne  shoulde  answer  it.  yet  will  you  see 
by  the  contents  of  tbe  Letters  Patent,  which  shall  be  read 
to  you  each  week,  that  the  very  contrary  is  the  case.  I 
would  wish  you,  therefore,  without  contempt  of  my  au 
thoritie,  to  study  to  observe  the  orders  that  I  have  here 
set  down  ;  for  there  are  now  no  more  councellers  to  pro 
tect  you  and  to  curbe  my  endeavours.  He  that  offendeth, 
therefore,  shall  most  assuredly  meet  due  punishment." 

The  members  of  the  Council,  if  we  remember,  Scrivener, 
Waldo,  and  others,  perished  in  the  boat  while  Smith  was 
at  Pamunkee.  He,  as  President  of  the  colony,  was  left 
with  the  sole  authority.  H:s  speech  is  to  the  purpose.  It 
speaks  the  man  of  business  and  of  resolution,  and  was  not 
without  its  effect,  we  may  suppose.  But,  to  encourage 


LIFE    OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  28$ 

the  good,  and  to  spur  the  sluggish  to  amendment,  he  pre 
pared  a  table  or  register  of  each  man's  name,  with  a  sum 
mary  notice  of  his  daily  conduct.  This  was  placed  con 
spicuously  where  it  could  be  seen  by  all,  and  thus  become 
"apublicke  memoriall  of  every  man's  deserts."  This, 
too,  had  its  influence.  Many  became  very  industrious, 
though  quite  as  many  were  only  to  be  goaded  to  theij 
tasks  by  punishment.  He  had  so  contrived  their  duties 
that  they  found  it  impossible  to  deceive  him.  H/s  eye 
was  everywhere,  on  all  things  and  persons,  and  he  pos 
sessed,  in  rare  degree,  that  faculty  of  vision  which  enables 
the  master  to  pierce  through  "the  secret  bosom,  and  discern 
all  its  secrets.  But  there  were  some  practices  which  he 
could  not  fathom — some  offenders  who  contrived  to  baffle 
even  his  penetration.  Still,  there  was  a  daily  loss  of  tools 
and  weapons,  and  common  sense  naturally  led  them  to 
conceive  that  these  found  their  way  to  the  Indians,  by 
whom  they  were  much  desired.  The  thefts  were  com 
mitted  by  those  in  the  fort,  who  had  become  confederates 
with  the  Dutchmen  sent  to  Powhatan.  At  one  time,  while 
Smith  was  at  Pamunkee,  these  confederates,  to  the  num 
ber  of  rive,  had  stolen  away  from  the  colony,  and  were  on 
their  way  to  Powhatan,  when  they  were  met  by  Mr. 
Crashaw  and  Mr.  Ford,  who  had  been  despatched  to 
Jamestown  from  Pamunkee,  by  Smith.  To  these  they 
gave  some  plausible  statement,  accounting  for  their 
presence  on  the  road,  and,  the  better  to  baffle  their  suspi 
cions,  they  returned  with  these  gentlemen  to  the  settle 
ment,  resuming  their  old  business  of  peculation.  Powder 
and  shot,  tools  and  weapons,  disappeared  with  unaccounta 
ble  rapidity  under  their  agency,  leaving  no  clue  by  which 
they  could  be  found  or  followed.  Meantime,  the  Dutch 
men  somewhat  wondered  why  their  confederates  had  not 
followed  them  as  had  been  promised.  They  were  em- 


290  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

ployed  by  the  savage  emperor,  not  in  palace  building,  but 
in  teaching  himself  and  warriors  the  proper  use  of  the. 
English  weapons.  To  solve  their  doubts  in  relation  to  the 
delay  of  their  associates,  they  sent  one  of  their  company, 
named  Francis,  disguised  like  an  Indian.  This  fellow 
made  his  way  to  the  glass-house  in  the  forest,  about  a 
mile  from  Jamestown.  This  was  the  common  place  of 
rendezvous  for  these  conspirators.  Here  they  arranged 
a  scheme  for  taking  or  putting  Captain  Smith  to 
death ;  forty  Indians  lying  in  ambush,  for  some  time,  in 
expectation  of  his  appearance.  But  his  good  genius  again 
baffled  them,  and,  in  the  meantime,  tidings  of  the  visit  of 
Francis,  and  the  disguise  which  he  wore,  reached  his 
ears.  His  plans  were  decisive.  The  fellow  escaped  the 
party  that  went  to  the  glass-house  to  apprehend  him,  but 
did  not  escape  another  party  of  twenty  men,  wrhom  Smith 
despatched  to  cover  the  road  between  Jamestown  and  the 
domains  of  Powhatan.  He  was  captured  and  brought 
back  ,  but,  before  this  took  place,  our  Captain  experienced 
an  adventure  of  considerable  danger,  from  which  it  required 
all  his  dexterity  and  courage  to  escape.  Returning  from 
the  glass-house  alone,  after  he  had  sent  off  the  twenty 
soldiers  in  pursuit  of  the  fugitive,  he  suddenly  encountered 
the  King  of  Paspahegh,  a  stalwart  savage  of  large  stature 
To  this  chief,  it  appears  that  the  ambush  had  been  en 
trusted  by  which  Smith  was  to  perish.  But  Smith's  foot 
steps  did  not  incline  in  the  direction  where  the  Indian 
were  concealed,  and,  throwing  himself  in  his  way,  the 
object  of  the  chief  was  to  beguile  his  victim  in  the 
required  direction.  But  either  the  art  of  the  savage  was 
too  rude,  or  our  Captain  had  grown  cautious  and  suspicious 
from  a  frequent  knowledge  of  his  danger,  and  the  attempts 
of  the  chief  were  unavailing.  Desperate  in  his  design, 
and  stimulated  to  the  attempt  by  the  urgent  wishes  of 


Conflict  with  the  King  of  Paepabegl.i.  —  Page  291. 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH.  29 1 

Powhatan,  he  conceived  the  idea,  as  Smith  was  alone, 
and  armed  only  with  a  falchion,  of  accomplishing  the 
deed  himself.  But  the  attempt  to  shoot  him  with  his 
arrow  failed  in  consequence  of  his  having  approached  too 
nearly  to  his  enemy.  Smith  was  enabled  to  close  in  with 
him,  before  the  shaft  could  be  dismissed  from  the  string. 
The  grapple  now  between  them  was  one  for  lite  and  death, 
and  to  prevent  the  Captain  from  drawing  his  falchion,  as 
he  had  been  prevented  from  using  his  bow,  the  s-tout 
savage  grappled  him  with  equal  dexterity  and  courage. 
The  Indian  seems  to  have  been  the  mos-t  powerful  man 
of  the  two,  was  large  of  frame  and  muscular,  though 
less  agile,  perhaps,  and  possibly  not  so  good  a  wrestler  as 
our  Captain.  But  he  succeeded,  by  main  force,  in 
dragging  him  into  the  river,  where  they  struggled  for  some 
time  in  the  water,  neither  having  the  advantage.  At  length 
a  fortunate  movement  enabled  Smith  to  get  his  fingers 
fairly  clutched  about  the  naked  throat  of  his  dusky  oppo 
nent.  This  he  griped  with  such  hearty  good  will,  that  the 
savage,  half-strangled,  succumbed  to  his  conqueror  ; — who, 
drawing  his  falchion,  and  about  to  cut  off  the  head  of 
his  captive,  was  persuaded  to  spare  him  by  his  pitiful  en 
treaties  for  life.  But  he  made  him  prisoner,  and,  under  the 
edge  of  the  uplifted  sword,  drove  him  into  Jamestown  ami 
made  him  fast  in  chains. 

Here  he  proved  a  witness  for  the  conviction  of  the 
Dutchman,  Francis.  This  traitor,  put  upon  trial,  offered 
out  a  lame  plea  to  the  charges  urged  against  him.  The 
confession  of  Paspahegh  was  conclusive  of  his  guilt  ;  and, 
to  use  the  phrase  of  our  authority,  which  leaves  us  some 
what  doubtful  of  his  punishment,  "  he  went  by  the  heeles," 
accordingly.  But  his  life  was  spared  by  Smith,  who,  as 
a  conqueror,  was  always  me  'ciful ; — spared,  at  this  time, 
to  be  reserved  f (  r  a  worse  fate,  equally  well  deserved, 


292  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

hereafter.  Francis,  after  Smith  had  left  the  colony,  and 
its  govern  nent  had  fallen  into  other  hands,  contrived  tc 
escape  a  second  time  to  Powhatan.  To  this  wily  monarch, 
he  promised  to  play  the  same  game  with  the  new  gover 
nor,  Lord  Delaware,  which  he  had  played  with  Smith. 
But  Powhatan  had  become  much  more  suspicious  with 
increase  of  experience  ;  and,  telling  the  traitor  that  he  who 
had  betrayed  Smith  to  him,  would  be  just  as  likely  to  be 
tray  him  to  Delaware,  he  commanded  his  brains  to  be 
beaten  out.  And  thus  the  miserable  wretch  rushed  only 
to  his  doom  at  last. 

Paspahegh  was  kept  some  time  in  prison,  Smith  pro 
posing  to  exchange  him  for  the  Dutchmen  left  with  Pow 
hatan.  But,  either  they  were  not  willing  to  return,  or 
Powhatan  wrould  not  suffer  them ;  and  while  the  negotia 
tions  for  this  object  were  in  progress,  Paspahegh  contrived, 
during  a  temporary  absence  of  Smith,  to  escape  from 
prison.  He  was  pursued  by  Captain  Winne,  but  his  faith 
ful  subjects  covered  his  flight  with  such  troops  of  warriors 
who  resolutely  braved  the  combat,  freely  exchanging  shaft 
for  shot,  that  he  succeeded  in  getting  off  safely.  Return 
ing  to  the  fort,  and  learning  of  these  events,  Smith  cap 
tured  twro  Indians,  Kemps  and  Tussore — u  the  two  most 
exact  villains  in  all  the  country," — "  who  would  betray 
both  king  and  kindred  for  a  piece  of  copper."  These  he 
sent  with  a  party  of  fifty  choice  men,  under  Captain  Winne 
and  Lieutenant  Percy,  in  pursuit  of  the  fugitive  chief. 
They  were  to  guide  the  soldiers  where  he  was  concealed. 
But  Winne  did  not  follow  Smith's  counsel,  nor  the 
guidance  of  his  Indians,  but,  trifling  away  the  night  when 
he  should  have  pushed  forward  with  all  his  strength,  he 
found  the  savages  prepared  for  him,  in  all  their  might,  by 
the  dawn  of  day.  They  defied  him  to  the  combat,  and 
*he  two  parties  exchanged  shots  at  a  distance  so  respect- 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  293 

fill,  as  to  expose  nobody  to  hurt  on  either  side.  Winne 
and  his  party  returned  to  Jamestown,  after  burning  a  few 
houses  and  capturing  a  few  canoes. 

Smith  was  dissatisfied  with  this  result,  and  took  the  field 
himself.  He  feared  that  the  savages  would  be  encouraged 
by  this  non-performance  of  his  soldiers,  and  soon  "  began 
himselfe  againe  to  try  conclusions"  with  his  wrarlike  neigh 
bors,  "whereby  six  or  seven  were  slaine,  and  as  many 
made  prisoners."  He  was  resolved  that  their  punishment 
should  make  them  fear  him.  He  burnt  their  houses,  took 
their  boats,  removed  their  fishing  weirs  to  his  own 
waters,  and  was  passing  by  Paspahegh  towards  Chicka- 
hominy,  in  order  to  extend  his  vengeance  to  all  the 
deserving,  when  he  was  encountered  by  a  large  body  of 
the  Paspaheghians,  who  bravely  prepared  to  try  his  strength. 
But  when,  at  the  first  encounter,  they  discovered  our 
Captain  instead  of  Winne,  at  the  head  of  the  English,  they 
threw  down  their  weapons,  and  entreated  peace.  His 
very  name  and  presence  were  enough.  One  of  their  ora 
tors,  speaking  for  the  rest,  thus  addressed  him  :  "  Captain 
Smith,  the  chief,  my  master,  is  here  present  with  this 
company.  It  was  Captain  Winne,  and  not  you,  of  whom 
he  thought  to  be  avenged.  If  he  hath  offended  you  in 
escaping  from  imprisonment,  you  must  remember  that 
fishes  swim,  fowles  fly,  and  the  very  beasts  strive  to  escape 
the  snare.  Blame  him  not,  therefore,  being  a  man,  that 
he  hath  done  in  like  manner.  He  would  entreat  you  to 
remember  your  being  a  prisoner,  what  paines  he  took  to 
save  your  life.  If,  since  that  time,  he  hath  injured  you, 
ne  was  compelled  to  it  by  another.  You,  too,  have  already 
amply  revenged  yourself,  to  our  too  great  losse.  Do  not 
destroy  us  as  you  now  seem  to  desire.  We  are  here  to 
implore  your  friendship — to  entreat  that  we  be  permitted 
to  enjoy  our  houses  and  to  plant  our  fields,  in  whose  fruit 


294  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

you  shall  participate  ;  otherwise,  you  will  be  the  sufferers 
if  you  drive  us  away  to  other  places.  We  can  plant,  but 
you  cannot  live  lacking  our  harvests.  Proceed  in  your 
revenge,  and  we  will  abandon  the  country.  Promise  us 
peace,  and  we  will  believe  you." 

This  "  worthy  discourse  "  which,  as  our  author  justly 
writes,  "  deserveth  to  be  remembered,"  had  its  effect. 
The  chief  was  forgiven,  peace  was  made  between  the  par 
ties,  and  they  separated  good  friends  ;  and  so  continued 
till  Smith  left  the  country.  The  wonderful  influence 
which  our  adventurer  possessed  over  the  minds  of  the 
aborigines,  was  to  be  still  farther  increased  by  a  circum 
stance  which  happened  soon  after  his  return  to  the  colony. 
There,  it  had  been  discovered  that  the  people  of  Chicka- 
hominy,  who  'had  always  shown  themselves  very  affec 
tionate  and  friendly,  were  yet  disposed  to  be  very  thiev 
ish.  A  pistol  being  stolen,  and  the  thief  escaping,  his  two 
brothers,  who  were  known  to  be  his  confederates,  were 
taken  into  custody.  One  of  them,  after  a  brief  imprison 
ment,  was  suffered  to  go  free,  with  a  message  to  the  thief 
that  if  the  pistol  was  not  restored  within  twelve  hours,  the 
brother  left  in  prison  would  be  hung.  The  message  was 
effectual.  The  messenger  returned  before  midnight, 
bringing  the  pistol,  but  seemed  to  have  returned  too  late. 
The  season  was  one  of  great  severity,  and  Captain  Smith, 
commiserating  the  cold  and  naked  condition  of  the  poor 
wretch  left  in  prison,  sent  him  food,  and  a  supply  of  char 
coal,  with  which  to  make  a  fire.  Ignorant  of  the  deadly 
properties  of  the  burning  charcoal  in  a  close  apartment, 
the  poor  Indian,  when  his  brother  was  admitted  to  his 
prison,  was  found  lifeless.  Bitterly  did  the  survivor 
lament  the  premature  death  of  his  kinsman  ;  and  so  much 
did  Smith  sympathize  with  him  in  his  cruel  sorrow  and 
('isappointment,  that  tu'  confidently  romised  the  wailing 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  295 

savage,  if  he  would  be  quiet,  that  he  would  restore  the 
dead  man  to  life.  It  was  one  of  those  spontaneous,  irre 
pressible  impulses  of  a  generous  wish,  which  prompted 
this  promise,  for  he  tells  us  he  had  little  thought  {hat  the 
victim  could  be  recovered.  Yet  he  went  to  work  with 
all  his  industry  and  skill,  and  the  will  to  achieve  has  in 
itself  a  virtue  which  half  ensures  success  to  its  perform 
ances.  Aqua  vita,  that  power,  potent  as  it  has  proved 
for  evil,  has  its  virtues  also  ;  and,  with  vinegar,  proved, 
on  the  present  occasion,  a  most  fortunate  specific.  The 
poor  savage,  through  God's  blessing,  was  restored  to  con 
sciousness  ;  -but  the  effects  of  the  charcoal  promised  to  be 
fatal  to  his  intellect.  To  restore  him  to  his  proper  senses 
was  another  task  of  difficulty  imposed  upon  him  by  the 
entreaties  of  the  anxious  kinsman,  and  this  also  Smith 
promised  to  achieve.  Succeeding  in  this  by  such  simple 
means  as  an  experienced  soldier,  or  traveller,  would  natu 
rally  have  learned  to  use,  our  Captain  gained  the  reputa 
tion  among  the  Indians  of  having  raised  the  dead.  Ano 
ther  circumstance  served  to  increase  the  respect  in  which 
the  English  and  their  Captain  were  held  by  the  sirnplt 
natives.  An  "  ingenious  savage*'  of  Powhatan  s  had  pro 
cured  by  theft,  or  barter  with  the  thief,  a  bag  ot  gunpow 
der,  and  the  back  piece  of  a  suit  of  armor.  To  show 
his  superior  knowledge,  the  fellow  had  gathered  several 
of  his  companions  around  him,  and  proceeded  to  dry  the 
powder,  as  he  had  seen  the  soldiers  practise  the  opera 
tion  upon  the  armor.  He  dried  it  a  little  too  long  fo.r  his 
credit  and  his  life.  The  powder  exploded,  and  destroyed 
the  experimenter,  and  one  or  two  more.  Others  were  so 
much  scorched,  as  to  produce  a  wholesome  distrust  in  the 
minds  of  the  whole  nation,  of  the  virtues  of  a  commodity 
so  quick  to  take  fire.  The  result  was  highly  important  to 
our  English.  "  These,  and  many  other  such  pretty  acci 


296  LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

dents,  so  amazed  and  affrighted  both  Powhatan  and  all  his 
people,  that  their  conscientiousness  returned  to  them.7' 
Numberless  things  which  had  been  stolen,  but  which  had 
neither  been  demanded  nor  thought  of,  were  suddenly 
returned  ;  and  even  the  thieves  themselves,  after  this 
event,  were  sent  back  to  Jamestown  to  receive  punish 
ment.  The  stubborn  Powhatan  was  subdued  by  his 
superstitious  fears,  and,  with  his  people,  by  numerous 
presents,  entreated  peace  hereafter.  The  change  was  so 
complete,  that  the  country  became  absolutely  as  free  and 
safe  to  the  English  as  to  the  savages  themselves.  For 
tune  thus  admirably  co-operated  with  the  genius  of  our 
Captain  to  produce  all  the  results  to  his  colony  which 
good  government  could  possibly  desire  or  procure. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

THE  exclusive  control  which  Captain  Smith  now  possessed 
over  the  affairs  of  the  colony,  was  soon  made  manifest  in 
its  progress.  The  pacific  temper  to  which  he  had  brought 
the  savages  in  a  short  space  of  time,  left  him  wholly  free 
to  administer  the  internal  affairs  of  the  settlement  at  his 
pleasure  ;  and  the  fact  that  he  was  no  longer  embarrassed 
by  the  vexing  moods  and  querulous  dispositions  of  his 
council,  rendered  his  work  comparatively  easy  and  agreea 
ble.  Accordingly,  we  find  the  English  making  such  pro 
gress  in  the  useful  arts,  in  the  three  months  which  followed 
the  conclusion  of  peace  with  Powhatan,  as  they  never 
exhibited  in  all  their  previous  history.  Tar,  pitch,  and 
potash,  in  considerable  quantities,  rewarded  their  exer 
tions  ;  they  produced  some  samples  of  glass ;  dug  a  well 
of  excellent  water  in  the  fort,  which,  till  then,  had  been 
very  much  wanting  ;  provided  nets  and  seines  for  taking 
fish  ;  built  twenty  new  houses  ;  repaired  the  church,  and, 
the  better  to  prevent  thieving,  and  to  check  the  incursions 
of  the  savages,  raised  a  block-house  on  the  isthmus  of 
Jamestown,  which  neither  Christian  nor  Heathen  was  suf 
fered  to  pass  without  order  or  permit  from  the  President. 
Thirty  or  forty  additional  acres  of  land  were  also  broken 
up  and  planted  ;  and  such  new  care  taken  of  pigs  and 
poultry  that  their  increase  became  marvellous.  The  for 
mer  were  carried  to  an  islet,  which  was  called  Hog  Island, 
and  here  a  block-house  was  also  built,  and  a  garrison 
established,  which  should  give  notice  of  any  approaching 
skipping.  The  soldiers  here  were  not,  however,  left  tc 


298  LIFE    OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

keep  the  place  in  idleness,  but  for  their  exercise  and 
amusement  were  required  to  fell  trees,  and  split  clapboards. 
A  fort  was  also  begun,  as  a  place  of  retreat — for  they 
had  no  reason  to  suppose  themselves  free  from  the  Spanish 
rovers — upon  a  commanding  hill  near  a  contiguous  river 
The  plan  of  this  fortress  rendered  it  difficult  of  assault,  and 
easy  of  defence  ;  but,  before  it  was  quite  finished,  a  more 
pressing  matter  arrested  the  workmen. 

It  was  found  that  their  corn,  their  entire  stock,  which 
had  been  put  up  in  casks,  and  probably  in  a  damp  condi 
tion,  was  half  rotten,  and  so  much  injured  by  the  rats — of 
which  reptile,  a  colony  of  several  thousands  had  been 
transferred  from  the  ships  to  the  shore — that  it  was  ren 
dered  almost  wholly  worthless  for  the  future  use  of  the 
people.  This  put  a  stop  to  all  their  labors  and  enterprises, 
those  only  excepted  which  went  to  supplying  them  with 
food ;  and  this  last  necessity,  as  our  President  acknow 
ledges,  "  drove  them  to  their  wits'  end."  There  was 
nothing  to  be  procured  in  the  country,  except  that  which 
came  from  the  hands  of  nature.  The  Indian  women  of 
Youghtanund  and  Mattapanient,  when  sharing  with  them 
their  last  supplies,  did  it  with  tears  and  lamentations, 
which  forbade  the  idea  of  ravishing  from  the  poor  savages 
their  little  remaining  store.  The  two  Indians  whom  Smith 
had  seized  as  hostages  for  the  return  of  the  chief  of  Pas 
pahegh,  and  who  were  described  as  the  "  two  most  exac 
villaines  in  all  the  country,"  had  refused  to  leave  the  set 
tlement  even  when  they  recovered  their  enlargement,  but 
made  themselves  useful,  and  were  found  particularly 
valuable  in  teaching  the  whites  how  their  fields  were  to 
be  prepared  and  planted.  These  "  exact  villaines"  exer 
cised  a  proper  influence  over  their  people,  who,  in  the 
distress  of  the  colony,  brought  daily  supplies  of  game — 
"  squirrels,  turkies,  deere,  and  other  wilde  beasts."  With 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  299 

common  industry  and  skill,  starvation  in  such  a  country 
was  impossible  ;  but  it  became  necessary  to  scatter  their 
forces,  that  they  might  more  readily  procure  their  game. 
Accordingly,  sixty  or  eighty,  with  Ensign  Laxson,  were 
sent  down  the  river  to  feed  upon  oysters ;  twenty  with 
Lieut.  Percy,  to  Point  Comfort,  to  live  by  fishing  ;  "  Mas 
ter  West,  with  as  many  more,  went  up  the  falls,  but 
nothing  could  be  found  but  a  few  acornes,  of  which  every 
man  had  a  fair  proportion."  The  industry  of  some  thirty 
or  forty  enabled  them,  even  under  these  hard  conditions, 
to  live  tolerably  well,  and  with  something  of  comfort. 
These  had  always  before  been  the  persons  to  supply  the 
colony.  They  now  contrived  to  supply  themselves. 
Sturgeon  were  in  abundance,  and  these  fish  dried  and 
pounded,  and  "  mixed  with  caviare,  sorrel,  and  other 
wholesome  hearbes,  would  make  good  bread  and  meate  ;" 
while  the  Toyhwogh  and  other  roots  would  yield  bread 
enough  in  a  day  to  keep  the  gatherer  a  week.  But  the 
greater  number  of  the  colonists,  who  had  hitherto  found 
their  food  wholly  in  the  toils  of  others,  were  not  satisfied 
to  adopt  the  habits  of  industry  even  at  a  period  of  such 
extreme  necessity,  and  "  had  they  not  been  forced,  nolent 
volens,  perforce  to  gather  and  prepare  their  victuall,  they 
would  all  have  starved  or  have  eaten  one  another."  If 
was  the  painful  struggle  with  our  Captain,  from  the  first 
commencement  of  the  settlement  in  Virginia,  to  protect 
the  greater  number  of  his  followers  from  themselves. 
Their  own  blindness,  and  wickedness,  and  wilfulness;  the 
perversity  and  malice  in  their  hearts;  the  profligacy,  at 
once,  of  moral  and  understanding  with  which  they  suffered, 
constituted  the  greater  part  of  the  toils  and  vexations  with 
which  he  had  to  contend  from  the  commencement.  And 
now,  when,  with  ordinary  painstaking,  it  was  so  easy  to 
gather  good  food  and  in  abundance,  these  miserable 


300  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

wretches,  with  idleness,  and  gluttony,  and  a  pernicious  will 
thoroughly  ingraining  their  whole  nature,  preferred  infinitely 
Ihe  sacrifice  of  all  that  had  been  done,  and  all  that  the} 
possessed,  rather  than  undergo  the  moderate  amount  of 
toils  which  the  necessities  of  their  condition  required 
They  preferred  rather  to  sell  their  implements  of  culture, 
of  work  and  defence,  their  hoes  and  kettles,  their  swords, 
guns  and  ordnance,  in  exchange  with  the  savages  for  the 
poor  remains  of  corn  they  had  in  store.  Powhatan,  hear 
ing  of  their  emergency,  had,  with  a  rare  and  noble  magna 
nimity,  sent  them  half  his  stock  ;  yet  were  these  profligate 
wretches  on  the  eve  of  mutinying  because  Smith  would  not 
yield  to  their  clamors,  in  endeavoring  to  wrest  from  him 
the  residue.  Failing  in  this  object,  their  evil  humors 
took  another  direction  ;  and  finding  that  some  of  them  seri 
ously  meditated  the  abandonment  of  the  colony,  he  seized 
upon  the  ringleader  of  the  faction,  one  Dyer,  "  a  crafty 
fellow,  and  his  ancient  maligner,"  and  having  "  worthily 
punished"  him,  made  a  talk  to  his  comrades,  in  the  fol 
lowing  form  and  manner  : — 

"  Fellow-soldiers,  I  little  thought  there  could  be  any 
among  you  so  false  to  report,  or  so  simple  as  to  believe 
that  I  intended  to  starve  you,  or  that  Powhatan,  at  this 
season,  had  any  corn  for  himselfe,  much  less  for  you  ;  or 
that  I  would  not  procure  it  for  you,  if  I  knew  where  it 
were  to  be  had.  Neither  did  I  think  any  cf  you  so  mali 
cious  as  now  I  see  a  great  many.  Yet  this  shall  not  so 
provoke  my  passion,  but  that  I  will  do  my  best  for  my 
worst  maligner.  But  you  must  dream  no  longer  of  any 
help  from  Powhatan,  nor  that  I  will  forbear  to  force  you, 
if  you  are  idle,  and  punish  you  when  you  wrangle.  And  if 
I  finde  any  more  runners  for  Newfoundland  with  the  pin 
nace,  let  him  assuredly  look  to  arrive  at  the  gallows.  You 
cannot  deny  but  that,  by  the  hazard  of  my  life,  many  a 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  301 

time  I  have  saved  yours,  when  (might  your  owne  wills 
have  prevailed)  you  would  have  starved,  and  would  do  so 
still  whether  I  will  or  noe.  But  I  protest,  by  the  God 
that  made  me,  since  necessitie  hath  not  power  to  force 
you  to  gather  for  yourselves  those  fruites  which  the 
earth  doth  yield,  you  shall  not  onely  gather  for  yourselves, 
but  for  those  also  who  are  sicke.  I  have  shared  with  the 
meanest  of  you  in  provision,  and  now  my  extra  allowance 
shall  be  distributed  among  the  sicke.  They,  at  least,  shall 
not  suffer.  You  shall  help  to  provide  for  them.  They 
shall  partake  of  all  pur  labors.  As  for  this  savage  fare 
which  your  mouths  so  scornfully  repine  at,  your  stomaches 
can  digest  it.  If  you  would  have  better  you  should  have 
bought  it.  I  will  take  a  course  which  shall  make  you 
provide  what  is  to  be  had.  He,  therefore,  who  gathereth 
not  each  day  as  much  as  I  doe,  shall  be  set  the  next  be 
yond  the  river,  and  be  banished  from  the  fort  as  a  droan 
till  he  mend  his  condition  or  starve." 

They  murmured  at  his  tyranny,  but  submitted,  and 
thrived  accordingly.  They  did  not  perish  from  the  famine 
that  was  so  much  feared  ;  but  the  fishermen  to  his  nets, 
the  fowler  to  his  weirs,  the  fanner  to  his  fields,  all  pros 
pered  in  obeying  that  imperative  will,  which  saved  them 
in  spite  of  their  own.  Many  were  billeted  among  the 
Indians,  and  thus  acquired  their  languages,  their  modes  of 
life,  their  forest  craft,  and  the  medicinal  and  culinary  vir 
tues  of  their  plants  and  roots,  in  the  use  of  which  the 
savages  have  proverbially  great  success  and  skill.  And 
they  suffered  no  injury  thus  living  among  their  rude  and 
wandering  neighbors.  Captain  Smith  was  a  name  of  so 
much  power  and  terror  among  them,  that  "  they  durst  not 
wrong  us  of  a  pin."  So  grateful  did  this  sort  of  life  be 
come  to  many  of  the  whites,  that  they  afterwards  ran 
away  to  their  forest  friends  when  the  necessity  for  leaving 
20 


302  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

the  fort  had  ceased  to  exist.  But  they  were  soon  taught 
by  the  Indians  that  the  power  was  supposed  to  reside  in 
Captain  Smith  rather  than  the  race  over  which  he  ruled. 
The  simple  savages  had  long  learned  to  distinguish  between 
his  endowments  and  those  of  his  companions  ;  and  the 
treatment  of  the  fugitives,  who  were  always  finally  brought 
back  by  the  Indians,  was  in  some  cases  full  of  admirable 
justice.  The  two  savages,  Kemps  and  Tussoree,  the 
u  two  most  exact  villaines  in  all  the  country,"  made  them 
selves  sport  by  subjecting  the  runaway  whites  to  a  treat 
ment  such  as  that  which  Smith  had  made  them  endure 
while  in  captivity  :  "  feeding  them  with  this  law" — a 
favorite  maxim  with  our  Captain — "  that  he  who  would 
not  work  must  not  eate,"  until  they  nearly  starved  the 
spiritless  fugitives  to  death.  Nor  were  they  suffered  to 
escape,  but  were  kept  closely  watched,  and  under  the 
uplifted  club,  until  opportunity  was  found  for  bringing  them 
back  to  the  settlements,  with  all  that  they  had  stolen. 
Such  had  been  the  effect  of  our  hero's  training  upon  these 
"  poore  salvages,  of  whom  there  was  more  hope  to  make 
better  Christians  and  good  subjects  than  the  one  halfe  of 
those  that  counterfeited  themselves  both." 

Among  the  first  public  labors  which  engaged  the  atten 
tion  of  our  President  when  the  emergencies  of  the  colony 
in  regard  to  food  were  fairly  at  an  end,  was  one  to  recover 
possession  of  the  Dutchmen  who  had  been  left  with  Pow- 
hatan,  and  another  fugitive,  named  Bent  ley,  who  had 
found  his  way  to  the  same  place  of  harborage.  By  this 
time  the  treachery  of  those  reprobates  was  well  known  in 
the  colony,  and  the  desire  of  Smith  to  obtain  possession 
of  their  persons  had  its  origin  quite  as  much  in  the  wish 
to  lessen  their  influence  upon  the  profligates  at  Jamestown, 
as  with  the  view  to  their  own  punishment.  To  effect 
this  object,  Smith  despatched  one  William  Volday,  a 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  303 

Swiss,  who  undertook  to  procure  their  return  to  the 
colony.  He  was  authorized  to  promise  their  pardon  foi 
past  offences,  and  good  treatment  hereafter.  But  Volday 
himself  was  no  sooner  in  the  t^nts  of  Powhatan,  than  he 
followed  the  traitorous  example  of  those  whom  he  had 
been  sent  to  recover.  He  had  probably  been  one  of  their 
confederates  before,  but  so  secretly  and  adroitly  had  he 
played  his  game  that  none  had  ever  suspected  him.  His 
hypocrisy  was  of  the  most  odious  sort,  since  he  obtained 
the  confidence  of  Smith  chiefly  by  his  openly  declared  dis 
approbation  and  loathing  of  the  Dutchmen — whom  our 
author  styles  "  his  cursed  countrymen."  Volday  was  a 
more  daring,  as  well  as  a  more  subtle  villain  than  the  rest. 
He  proposed  to  Powhatan  and  his  associates  to  proceed 
more  vigorously  in  their  objects,  and  offered  to  the  former 
that,  with  his  forces,  he  would  undertake,  while  the  Eng 
lish  were  thus  scattered  abroad  over  the  face  of  the  country 
for  food,  to  cut  them  off,  and  bring  into  his  service  all  ihose 
whom  it  was  not  absolutely  necessary  to  destroy.  They 
were  to  fire  Jamestown,  seize  the  pinnace,  slay  the  hogs, 
and  effectually  root  out  the  settlement.  Whether  Pow 
hatan  entertained  this  plot,  to  be  put  in  execution  at  a 
proper  season,  or  not,  we  are  not  advised  ;  but  the  plan 
was  revealed  to  Smith  in  sufficient  time  to  guard  against 
its  dangers  by  two  of  his  own  people,  Thomas  Douse  and 
Thomas  Mallard,  to  whom,  as  to  his  confederates,  Volday 
had  made  it  known.  Repenting  of  their  connection  with 
this  traitor,  they  betrayed  his  secret,  which  Smith  caused 
them  still  to  conceal,  while  they  continued  to  intrigue 
with  the  conspirator.  His  object  was  that  the  plot  should 
itpen,  "  onely  to  bring  the  irreclaimable  Dutchmen,  and 
the  inconstant  salvages,  in  such  a  manner,  amongst  such 
ambuscados  as  he  had  prepared,  that  not  many  of  them 
should  returne  from  our  Peninsula."  But  the  rumor  got 


304         LIFE  OF  CAPTAIN   SMITH. 

abroad  among  the  pejple,  who  importuned  the  President 
to  pursue  and  destroy  the  traitors.  Lieutenant  Percy  and 
Mr.  John  Cuddrington,  u  two  gentlemen  of  as  bold  and 
resolute  spirits  as  could  possibly  be  found,"  with  many 
others,  volunteered  to  go  and  cut  the  throats  of  these 
wretches  in  the  very  presence  of  Powhatan.  But  Smith 
had  other  employments  for  these.  He,  nevertheless,  gave 
way  to  the  voice  of  the  multitude,  and  suffered  "  Master 
Wyffin  and  Sergeant  Jeffrey  Abbot  to  goe  and  stab  or 
shoot  them."  But  this  commission  came  to  nothing. 
Powhatan  signified  to  the  messengers  of  death  that  the 
Dutchmen  were  at  their  disposal.  He  did  not  keep  them  ; 
nor  would  he  offer  to  protect  them.  But  when  they  lis 
tened  to  the  representations  of  the  criminals,  they  began 
to  differ  in  opinion  as  to  the  propriety  of  executing  judg 
ment  upon  them.  Wyffin  was  for  carrying  out.  the  pur 
pose  on  winch  he  came,  hut  Abbot  opposed  it.  The 
Dutchmen  accused  Void  ay,  suspecting  him  of  revealing 
the  plot.  He,  meanwhile,  seems  to  have  eluded  observa 
tion,  and  probably  sought  shelter  in  the  forests,  from 
whence  he  subsequently  made  his  way  to  England,  where 
ne  imposed  upon  sundry  merchants  with  a  story  of  rich 
mines  which  he  had  discovered  in  Virginia.  He  was 
sent  out  by  them  with  Lord  Delaware  ;  but  his  impos 
tures  were  soon  detected,  and  he  died  miserably  and  in 
deserved  disgrace.  Of  the  other  Dutchmen,  one  remain 
ed  with  the  Indians,  while  the  other  accep!e .1  tl.e  pardou 
which  was  tendered  him  by  Smith,  and  returned  to  the 
colony.  Subsequently,  availing  himself  of  a  period  of 
confusion  in  the  settlement,  he  fled  again  to  Powhatan, 
with  Francis,  one  of  his  confederates,  whose  history  has 
already  been  given, — and  shared  his  fate  ; — the  brains  of 
ooth  of  them  being  beaten  out  by  the  Indians,  as  double 
traitors,  whom  no  party  could  trust. 


LIFE    OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH  305 

Meanwhile,  the  return  of  the  several  parties,  which,  in 
obedience  to  instructions  from  England,  had  been  sent 
out  to  ascertain  the  fate  of  the  missing  colony  of  Sir  Wal 
ter  Raleigh,  proved  the  mission  to  be  fruitless.  Mr. 
Sicklemore  had  explored  the  Chawwonoke,  but  found  no 
traces  and  as  few  traditions  of  the  lost  settlers  ;  and  quite 
as  little  to  reward  his  toils  in  the  search  after  "silk-grass," 
or  Pemminaw,  as  the  Indians  call  it.  The  soil  he  found 
well  timbered  and  exceedingly  fertile.  "  Master  Nathana- 
el  Powel  and  Anas  Todkill"  who  had  been  sent  under 
guidance  of  two  of  the  people  of  Quioughnohanocks,  to 
explore  the  country  of  the  Mangoags — a  tribe  not  under 
the  sway  of  Powhatan,  but  dwelling  on  the  upper  branches 
of  the  Nottoway — were  equally  unfortunate.  "  Three 
dayes  journey  they  conducted  them  through  the  woods, 
into  a  high  country  towards  the  southwest ;  where  they 
saw,  here  and  there,  a  little  cornefield,  by  some  little 
spring  or  small  brooke,  but  no  river  could  they  see."  Ex 
cept  in  language,  they  found  the  savages  of  this  region  in 
manners  and  appearance  to  resemble  all  they  had  yet  seen. 
They  lived  upon  the  wild  beasts  and  roots  of  the  forest, 
wild  fruits,  and  their  slender  crops,  and  carried  on  a  trade 
with  the  people  along  the  coasts,  exchanging  their  peltry 
for  fish  and  other  commodities.  The  Quioughnohanocks 
were  a  small  nation  of  Indians,  who  dwelt  on  the  south 
side  of  James  River,  about  ten  miles  above  Jamestown. 
Their  chief  was  always  a  fast  friend  to  the  English.  This 
"  promise-keeping  king,  of  all  the  rest,  did  ever  best 
affect  us ;  and  though  to  his  false  gods  he  was  very  zea 
lous,  yet  he  would  confesse  our  God  as  much  exceeded 
his  as  our  guns  did  his  bow  and  arrowes  i  and  often  sent 
our  President  many  presents  to  pray  to  his  God  for  rame, 
that  his  corn  might  not  perish — his  own  gods  being  angry.*' 


CHAPTER    XII. 

WHILE  Captain  Smith,  by  his  address  and  energy,  waa 
thus  retrieving  the  fortunes  of  ;he  colony,  and  laying  the 
solid  foundations  of  a  permanent  empire,  he  received  let 
ters  from  England,  which  were  very  far  from  doing  justice 
to  his  services.  These  were  brought  by  Captain  Argall,  a 
gentleman  then  engaged  in  a  contraband  trade,  but  who 
afterwards  became  a  governor  in  the  country.  They  re 
proached  our  hero  with  the  necessities  of  the  colony,  with 
his  hard  usage  of  the  natives,  and  with  the  failure  of  the 
ships  to  return  with  freights.  The  accounts  of  his  mode 
of  dealing  with  the  savages  came  from  Newport,  and  others 
of  his  class  and  calibre.  The  stern  decision  of  Smith,  his 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  his  skill  in  war,  his  stratagem 
and  adventure, — all  these,  so  far  superior  to  the  qualities 
possessed  by  his  rivals — had  inflamed  them  with  an  unap 
peasable  hate  and  envy.  To  accuse  him  and  to  decry  his 
merits  and  misrepresent  his  services,  was,  in  fact,  to  furnish 
the  most  obvious  mode  of  justification  for  their  own  failures 
and  defeats.  Smith,  alone,  had  succeeded, — succeeded  in 
establishing  the  colony  ; — but  this  was  not  the  sort  of  suc 
cess  which  the  proprietors  at  home  desired.  They  had 
set  out  with  false  notions  of  the  returns  which  should  flow 
from  their  expenditure.  The  history  of  Spanish  conquest, 
always  sounding  in  the  precious  metals,  was  continually  pre 
sent  to  their  thoughts ;  and  their  imaginations  were  too  much 
disturbed  by  the  gorgeous  vision  of  uncounted  treasure  in 
the  southern  parts  of  America,  not  to  insist,  equally  in 
nature's  and  in  reason's  spite,  that  the  northern  regions  of 
the  New  World  should  unfold  spoils  of  equal  value  and 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  307 

ADundance.  To  conquer  a  foothold  an  ong  the  furious 
savages  of  Apalachia, — to  lay  deeply  and  broadly  the 
foundations  of  a  great  commercial  empire — to  maintain 
himself,  in  spite  of  faction  and  feeble  resources,  cold,  and 
want,  and  sickness — with  traitors  within  and  unrelenting 
and  unsleeping  enemies  without, — were  not  such  services 
as  could  impress  themselves  upon  a  world  which  had  been 
dazzled  by  the  wondrous  good  fortune  of  Cortes  in  Mexico 
and  Pizarro  in  Peru,  or  pacify  the  demands  of  those  more 
immediately  interested,  who,  having  unwisely  trusted  their 
outlay  in  the  hands  of  incompetent  persons,  and  committed 
numerous  blunders  by  their  own  misconception  of  their 
proper  policy,  were  now  disposed  to  wreak  their  indignation 
upon  the  only  man  who  had  shown  himself  really  respon 
sible.  Smith  \vas  to  be  superseded.  A  new  charter, 
bearing  date  the  23d  May,  1609,  was  obtained  from  the 
Crown,  containing  larger  privileges  and  more  ample 
powers  than  the  former.  The  local  Presidency  and  Coun 
cil  were  to  be  abrogated,  and  the  colonists  were  expressly 
commanded  to  yield  obedience  to  those  only  who  should 
receive  their  appointment  from  the  Council  in  England. 
Under  this  new  system,  Lord  Delaware  was  made  Captain- 
general  of  the  colony  ; — Sir  Thomas  Gates  his  Lieutenant ; 
Sir  George  Somers,  Admiral ;  Capt.  Newport,  Vice  Ad 
miral  ;  Sir  Thomas  Dale,  High-marshal ;  Sir  Ferdinandc 
Wainman,  General  of  the  Horse  ;  and  other  officers  were 
designated,  and  other  appointments  made,  by  which  the  in 
fant  colony  of  Virginia,  which  had  made  no  returns,  and 
which  had  barely  maintained  itself  in  an  uncertain  ex 
istence  through  the  vigilance  and  courage  of  one  man,  was 
to  be  lifted  into  an  establishment  of  very  imposing  exterior. 
The  new  charter  was  granted  to  the  Earls  of  Salisbury, 
Suffolk,  Southampton,  Pembroke,  and  other  Peers,  to  the 
number  of  twenty-one  ;  and  to  knights  and  noble  gentlemen 


308  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

almost  without  number.  The  enterprise  became  fashion 
able.  So  many  persons  of  power  and  fortune  embarking  in 
it,  encouraged  the  more  timid  capitalists,  and  enabled  the 
Captain-general  and  his  associates  to  send  off  such  an 
armament  as  never  before  had  floated  in  the  waters  of  Vir 
ginia.  Nine  ships  and  five  hundred  people,  were  des 
patched,  under  the  command  of  Sir  Thomas  Gates,  Sir 
George  Somers  and  Captain  Newport.  To  each  of  these 
gentlemen,  a  commission  was  furnished,  with  wrhich,  the 
first  who  arrived,  was  to  supersede  that  by  which  the 
colony  was  held.  In  this  first  proceeding,  was  planted  the 
seed  of  difficulty  and  confusion.  Unwilling  that  either 
should  reach  the  promised  land  before  the  other,  the  three 
Commissioners  concluded  to  embark  together  in  the  same 
vessel.  They  sailed  from  England,  accordingly,  in  the 
latter  part  of  May,  1609,  in  a  vessel  called  the  Sea- Ven 
ture,  which  was  parted  from  the  rest  of  the  fleet  in  a 
hurricane,  and  wrecked  upon  the  Bermudas.  Their  lives 
were  saved,  and,  after  a  long  delay  and  many  hardships, 
they  finally  reached  Virginia  ;  but  not  until  Captain  Smith 
had  left  it,  to  return  to  it  no  more.  One  other  of  the  ves 
sels  in  this  expedition  shared  a  worse  fate — a  small  ketch, 
which  foundered  in  the  gale.  The  seven  remaining  ships 
reached  their  port  in  safety.  Unadvised  of  their  coming, 
Smith,  at  their  approach,  assuming  them  to  be  Spaniards, 
prepared  for  them  as  enemies.  Putting  his  men  under 
arms,  and  his  fort  in  a  posture  of  defence,  and  strengthened 
by  a  large  body  of  Indians,  who,  glad  to  conciliate  our 
Captain,  came  forward  promptly  with  an  offer  of  their 
services,  he  little  feared  the  arrival  of  the  supposed  Spa 
niards,  nor  doubted  that  he  should  encounter  them  suc 
cessfully.  But  he  was  soon  relieved  of  his  apprehensions 
from  this  quarter,  though  it  is  very  certain  that  an  invasion 
of  Spaniards  would  have  proved  less  hurtful  to  the  colony 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH.  309 

than  those  who  came.  Among  these  were  some  of  whom 
we  already  possess  some  knowledge.  These  were  Cap 
tains  Martin,  Archer  and  Ratcliffe,  or  Sicklemore,  as  we 
are  told  he  should  properly  be  called — "a  poore  counter 
feited  imposture,"  as  Smith  describes  him  in  a  letter  to 
the  Council,  "  whom  I  have  sent  you  home  lest  the  com 
pany  should  cut  his  throat."  It  is  a  sufficient  proof  of  the 
success  with  which  his  enemies  work  d  against  him  in 
England,  that  there  should  have  been  sent  out,  on  this 
expedition,  and  in  some  command,  all  the  persons  with 
whom  he  had  been  compelled  to  struggle,  in  maintaining 
successfully  the  interests  of  the  colony.  These  persons, 
unhappily,  succeeded  in  impressing  the  new  colonists 
generally  with  some  share  of  their  ill-feeling  towards  oui 
Captain.  They  were,  accordingly,  prepared  to  dislike  and 
distrust  him  before  they  had  yet  encountered  his  person. 
It  was  easy  to  influence  them  in  this  manner.  The  greater 
number  among  them  were  profligate  youth,  whose  friends 
were  only  too  well  satisfied  to  give  them  ample  room  in 
remote  countries,  where  they  might  escape  the  worse  des 
tinies  that  threatened  them  at  home.  Poor  gentlemen, 
bankrupt  tradesmen,  rakes  and  libertines,  such  as  were 
more  apt  to  ruin  than  to  raise  a  commonwealth.  A  small 
sprinkling  of  better  men  among  them,  a  few  well-designing 
persons,  of  better  sense  and  more  experience,  \vere  soon 
disabused  of  the  prejudices  which  the  enemies  of  Smith 
had  striven  to  inculcate.  They  had  only  to  see  his  pro 
ceedings,  and  to  hear  the  representations  of  his  old  sol 
diers,  to  arrive  at  just  conclusions  ;  but  the  wholesome 
leaven  was  quite  too  small  for  such  a  lump,  and  the  colony 
very  soon  presented  a  spectacle  of  most  admired  uproar 
and  confusion. 

Smith,  hurt  at  the  injustice  of  which  he  had  been  the 
victim,  was  disposed  to  fold  his  arms,  as  a  quiet  and  in- 


310  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

different  spectator,  while  the  new-comers  ran  riot  in 
their  abuse  of  order  and  authority.  His  presidency  had 
not  yet  been  superseded.  The  power  to  take  nis  place 
had  only  been  conferred  upon  those  who  had  been  wrecked 
upon  the  Bermudas,  and  his  commission  was  still  sove 
reign  against  all  competitors.  But,  in  his  pique,  he  was 
not  disposed  to  assert  its  virtues,  nor  were  his  enemies 
disposed  to  acknowledge  them.  He  prepared  to  return  to 
England,  and  suffered  misrule,  for  some  time,  to  play  its 
fantastic  tricks,  without  offering  any  obstruction  to  its  pro 
gress.  Led  by  Ratclirle,  Martin  and  Archer,  this  "  lewd 
rout"  passed  from  one  mischievous  proceeding  to  another. 
They  assumed  the  reins  of  government,  and,  on  a  small 
scale,  were  as  wanton  as  the  young  charioteer  whom 
Phrebus,  according  to  classic  fable,  entrusted  with  his 
steeds.  At  one  moment  they  chose  one  governor,  who 
was  soon  made  to  give  place  to  another — to-day  they 
were  for  the  old  commission,  to-morrow  for  the  new,  and 
the  third  day  found  them  flinging  away  the  restraining  in 
fluences  of  all.  "  Happie,"  says  one  of  our  authorities, 
"  had  we  beene  had  they  never  arrived,  and  we  for  ever 
abandoned ;  for  on  earth,  for  the  number,  was  never  more 
confusion  or  misery  than  their  factions  occasioned."  Wan 
ton,  indolent  and  feeble,  they  presented  one  of  those 
mournful  spectacles  of  impotence  and  vanity  in  power, 
which  the  great  poet  assumes  must  make  angels  weep — a 
spectacle  so  ridiculous,  as  well  as  mournful,  that  it  might 
well  prompt  their  laughter  also.  The  scorn  of  Smith 
seasoned  his  indignation.  He  looked  on  with  pity  and 
contempt,  until  the  evil  grew  too  serious  to  suffer  any 
longer  such  feelings  to  prevail.  He  was  too  little  selfish 
in  his  nature — too  much  the  patriot — to  hold  himself  aloof 
when  such  dangers  threatened  the  work  of  his  hands^ 
which  had  already  cost  him  so  much  risk  and  labor.  The 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH  311 

sturdy  followers  of  his  past  fortunes,  most  of  whom  had 
learned  properly  to  estimate  his  worth  and  virtues,  were 
true  to  the  colony,  and  disposed  to  sustain  him  in  the  due 
maintenance  of  its  interests.  A  part  of  the  newly  arrived 
were  soon  made  to  see  that  their  hope  lay  in  the  energy 
and  will  which  distinguished  his  command.  Having 
waited  for  some  time  in  the  hope  that  the  new  commission 
would  arrive,  upon  which  he  might  devolve  the  legal  re 
sponsibility,  it  became  necessary  for  the  public  good  that 
he  should  re-assert  his  own,  and  he  did  so  with  his  wonted 
promptness  and  resolution.  Ratcliffe,  Archer,  and  other 
factious  spirits,  were  laid  by  the  heels  after  a  long  contest, 
and  the  strong  hand  which  had  so  successfully  swayed 
the  power  of  this  colony  for  its  good,  wielded  it  once  more 
for  its  safety.  This  was  not  done  without  a  struggle.  "  It 
would  be  too  tedious,  too  strange,  and  almost  incredible," 
says  our  authority,  "  should  I  particularly  relate  the  infi 
nite  dangers,  plots  and  practices,  he  daily  escaped  among 
this  factious  crew  ;"  but  the  ringleaders  once  in  prison 
and  awaiting  their  trial,  the  restoration  of  order  was  com 
paratively  easy.  To  lessen  their  power  of  mischief,  and 
the  tendency  to  it,  Smith  distributed  them  in  sufficiently 
large  bodies  for  defence  and  settlement  about  the  country. 
Mr.  West,  with  a  hundred  and  twenty  chosen  men,  was 
sent  to  make  a  settlement  at  the  Falls  of  James  River,  and 
Captain  Martin,  with  as  many  more,  to  Nansemond. 
These  were  furnished  with  provisions  according  to  their 
numbers;  and,  with  tools  to  work  with,  and  weapons  in 
their  hands,  had  it  in  their  power  to  found  and  to  establish 
themselves  in  well-fortified  and  pleasant  abodes. 

The  disorders  of  the  colony  being  quelled,  and  the  ma 
chine  of  government  and  society  once  more  working  fairly 
on  its  wheels  and  hinges,  Smith  evinced  the  nobleness  of 
his  nature  by  giving^up  his  authority.  The  year  of  his 


312  LI  t  E     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

Presidency  was  nearly  expired,  and  he  yielded  his  seat  to 
Capt.  Martin.  But  Martin  had  some  saving  grains  of 
sense  and  honesty,  and  had  hardly  taken  possession  of 
the  government  before  the  oppressive  weight  of  its  respon 
sibility,  with  a  conviction  of  his  personal  unpopularity, 
overcame  his  ambition,  and  he  resigned  it  again  into  the 
hands  of  Smith,  and  hurried  back  to  his  establishment  at 
Nansemond.  But  his  rule  here  was  quite  as  unequal  to 
the  exigency  as  it  would  have  been  with  the  whole  colony 
resting  on  his  shoulders  and  wisdom.  Though  kindly 
treated  by  the  Nansemond  Indians,  yet,  in  his  anticipations 
of  mischief,  or  in  his  wantonness  of  power,  he  surprises 
their  chief  in  the  midst  of  his  festivities,  and  takes  posses 
sion  of  the  island  upon  which  be  lived,  with  all  his  houses 
and  treasure.  Here  he  fortified  himself,  but  so  feebly,  and 
so  bad  was  the  watch  which  he  kept,  that  the  savages 
took  his  fortress  by  assault,  killed  many  of  his  men,  res 
cued  their  kino*,  and  carried  off  a  thousand  bushels  of  corn 

O  / 

Smith  was  at  the  Falls  when  intelligence  reached  him  of 
this  disaster,  together  with  an  entreaty  from  Martin  for 
thirty  soldiers.  These  were  sent  him,  but  he  showed 
himself  so  little  capable  of  using  them,  that  they  abandon 
ed  him  in  disgust,  and  made  their  way  back  to  James 
town,  where  they  were  soon  followed  by  Martin  himself, 
who  left  his  people  to  take  care  of  themselves. 

The  establishment  made  by  West  at  the  Falls  \vas 
scarcely  more  successful.  Smith,  making  him  a  visit  to 
examine  the  new  settlement,  was  confounded  to  find 
West  on  his  way  to  Jamestown,  already  sick  of  his  experi 
ment.  The  survey  which  our  Captain  made  of  what  had 
been  done,  proved  the  competence  of  the  leader  to  be  no 
greater  than  that  of  Martin.  The  settlement  had  been 
fixed  on  a  site  which  had  no  single  quality  to  recommend 
it.  The  spot  was  so  low  as  to  be  Ijable  to  the  inundations 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  313 

of  the  river.  It  was  also  subject  to  other  and  equally  seri 
ous  objections.  Smith,  as  usual,  compelled  to  take  the 
business  in  hand,  determined  to  abandon  the  place,  and  to 
seek  another  of  more  eligible  qualities.  To  effect  this,  he 
negotiated  with  Powhatan  for  the  district  of  country  which 
went  by  that  chieftain's  name.  Hither  he  proceeded  to 
transfer  the  colony  which  had  been  assigned  to  West,  but 
he  was  met  by  resistance  and  final  violence  on  the  part  of  the 
infatuated  wretches  whom  he  strove  to  serve.  Under  the 
impression  that  the  territory  in  which  West  had  set  them 
down  was  one  abundant  in  the  precious  metal,  they  refus 
ed  to  abandon  it ; — refused,  indeed,  to  suffer  among  them 
any  addition  to  their  numbers,  even  from  among  their  own 
people,  lest  the  individual  share  of  spoil  to  each  should 
be  too  greatly  diminished.  Besides,  they  were  not  dispos 
ed  to  yield  much  deference  to  the  tenure  by  which  Smith 
held  the  Presidency — looking  momently  to  the  arrival  of 
those  by  whom  his  commission  was  to  be  superseded. 
Smith,  at  first,  pitying  their  blindness  and  folly,  endea 
vored  to  convince  them  of  the  reasons  by  which  he  was 
moved  in  his  selection  of  a  site  for  their  establishment. 
But  they  treated  his  expostulations  and  authority  with 
equal  contempt.  He  was  not  the  man  to  submit  coolly  to 
such  indignities,  and,  though  attended  by  five  men  only, 
he  proceeded  to  take  certain  of  the  most  factious  of  their 
number  into  custody.  But  they  did  not  suffer  him  to  pro 
ceed.  Remote  from  home,  from  the  restraining  and  cor 
recting  influences  of  civilized  life,  and  desperate  in  their 
resolve  to  seize  the  gold  which  they  believed  to  be  grow 
ing  in  the  fertile  earth  around  them,  and  to  be  had  for  the 
gathering,  they  arrayed  themselves  in  force  against  the 
audacious  individual,  whom  they  had  been  taught  to  hate 
and  to  distrust  from  the  beginning,  by  whom  they  were  to 
be  torn  from  their  Dorado.  Five  men  against  one  hun- 


314  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

dred  and  twenty,  suggested  a  greater  inequality  of  force 
than  it  was  within  the  courage  even  of  a  spirit  so  fearless 
as  that  of  Smith  to  encounter.  He  retreated  to  his  boat, 
accordingly,  and  with  that  readiness  of  resource  which 
seemed  never  to  desert  him,  he  changed  his  plan  of  attack 
by  arms,  for  one  wrhich  promised  less  peril  and  greater 
success.  He  surprised  the  vessel  which  contained  all 
their  stores  and  provisions,  and,  after J  a  delay  of  several 
days,  in  which  he  strove  to  afford  the  mutineers  time  and 
counsel  for  return  to  their  obedience,  he  set  sail  for  James 
town,  leaving  these  besotted  wretches  to  their  deserts. 

They  did  not  long  elude  their  proper  punishment.  With 
the  same  wild  and  reckless  spirit  with  which  they  had 
met  the  attempts  of  Smith  to  bring  them  to  order,  and  put 
them  in  safety,  they  behaved  to  the  simple  savages  in 
whose  vicinity  they  had  settled  themselves.  These  they 
robbed  and  maltreated,  dispossessed  them  of  their  food 
and  stores,  despoiled  and  drove  them  from  their  dwellings, 
and,  when  they  complained,  took  them  into  custody.  The 
Indians,  as  soon  as  they  perceived  the  hostile  attitude 
which  they  took  with  regard  to  Smith,  whom  they  had 
learned  equally  to  venerate  and  fear,  volunteered  in  num 
bers  to  fight  his  battles.  They  complained  to  him,  with 
justice,  that  he  had  brought  among  them,  on  the  plea  of 
protecting  them,  a  far  worse  enemy  than  they  had  ever 
before  had  reason  to  fear  ;  and  urged  that,  since  they 
could  not  look  to  him  for  protection,  ho  must  not  be  sur 
prised  or  offended  if  they  struggled  t^  protect  themselves 
Smith,  of  course,  refused  them  aid,  and  exhorted  them  to 
corbearance.  He  counselled  the  refractory  whites  of  their 
danger  from  this  source  ;  but  had  the  fortune,  like  Cas 
sandra,  to  have  his  predictions  laughed  at.  The  mutineers 
soon  paid  the  penalty  of  unbelief.  The  departure  of  Smith 
was  the  signal  for  the  rising  of  the  savages.  He  had 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  315 

scarcely  set  sail  when  a  simultaneous  attack  was  made 
upon  the  fort,  and  such  of  the  whites  as  were  straggling 
in  the  woods.  Many  were  slain,  and  the  rest  so  frighten 
ed,  that  it  was  no  longer  a  difficult  matter  for  Smith  to 
obtain  a  hearing.  His  vessel  having  grounded  in  the 
river,  within  reach  of  the  terrified  fugitives,  they  appealed 
to  him  for  protection,  and  at  once  submitted  themselves  to 
his  mercy.  For  once,  our  Captain  found  the  Indians  to  be 
excellent  auxiliaries.  Taking  advantage  of  their  fears, 
he  selected  six  or  seven  of  the  ringleaders  for  punish 
ment,  and  having  laid  them  by  the  heels,  conducted  the 
rest  of  them  to  the  proposed  settlement  at  Powhatan  ; 
where  he  took  possession  of  the  fortress,  "  readie  built 
and  prettily  fortified  with  poles  and  barkes  of  trees,"  as  it 
had  been  raised  by  that  sturdy  emperor.  The  work  is 
described  as  sufficient  to  have  protected  them  against  all 
the  savages  in  Virginia  ;  and  there  were  lodging  houses 
ready  for  use,  and  more  than  two  hundred  acres  of  land 
in  planting  condition.  Of  so  much  strength  and  beauty 
was  the  site  thus  secured  to  these  undeserving  runagates, 
that  Smith  preferred  it  to  all  others  he  had  seen  in  the 
country.  Accordingly,  he  called  it  Nonsuch.  He  had 
subdued  his  malcontents  for  a  season  ;  seated  them  in 
abodes  of  pleasantness  ;  and,  reconciling  them  to  the  Indi 
ans,  left  them  to  the  enjoyment  of  a  peace  and  security 
which  their  merits  had  scarcely  obtained  of  themselves. 
Captain  West,  making  his  appearance,  now  that  all  the 
troubles  of  the  settlement  had  been  composed,  had  nearly 
again  revived  them  by  the  mistaken  efforts  which  he  made 
for  the  release  of  the  mutineers  who  had  been  selected  for 
an  example.  He  succeeded  in  prevailing  with  Smith — 
who  was  now  completely  sickened  with  the  toil  of  serving 
men  equally  against  their  destiny  and  will — to  give  them 
up.  This  was  done,  and  our  Captain  departed  for  James- 


<      D  LIFEOF     CAPTAIN      SMITH 

to\vn.  But  Nonsuch,  however  desirable  and  beautiful, 
could  not  long  content  these  unhappy  people  ;  who,  pos 
sessed  with  the  dream  of  finding  gold  in  the  country  of  the 
Monacans,  as  soon  as  they  had  recovered  from  the  fright 
which  the  savages  had  given  them,  once  more  abandoned 
their  settlement,  arid  made  their  way  back  to  that  from 
which  they  had  been  expelled.  We  need  not  pursue  theii 
history.  From  this  moment  the  connection  ceases  be 
tween  them  and  our  adventurer. 


CHAPTER    XHL 

OUR  Captain  begins  to  show  a  certain  degree  of  weariness 
and  exhaustion,  in  the  protracted  struggle  which  he  has 
been  compelled  to  maintain,  as  well  against,  as  in  behalf  of, 
the  oddly  assorted  community  confided  to  his  charge. 
The  elastic  spirit  of  youth  with  which  he  rather  rejoiced 
in  difficulties,  even  as  trie  brave  swimmer  prefers  to  strug 
gle  against  the  billowy  currents,  than  float  without  effort 
on  the  slumberous  lake,  no  longer  buoys  him  up  against 
all  opposition  ;  and  the  sense  of  service  treated  with  injus 
tice,  and  of  true  and  substantial  merits  denied  their  du«. 
acknowledgment,  reconciles  him  to  those  irregularities, 
and  that  wilful  disposition  to  err  and  suffer,  on  the  part  of 
the  settlers,  which  he  has  hitherto  encountered  with  the  firm 
and  decisive  rule  of  the  patriarch.  When,  therefore,  the 
people  under  West  u  returned  againe  to  the  open  ayre  at 
West's  fort,  abandoning  Nonsuch" — that  delightful,  secure, 
and  sheltered  spot,  which  he  had  been  at  such  trouble  to 
procure  for  them  from  Powhatan — he  makes  no  further 
opposition,  and  sees  them  hurrying  anew  to  "  the  height 
of  their  former  factions,"  with  an  indifference  which  be 
trays  the  exhaustion  of  his  patience,  rather  than  any 
want  of  sympathy  in  the  interests  of  the  colony,  The 
proprietors  of  the  establishment  seem  to  have  kept  pace 
with  the  colonists,  in  weaning  him  from  those  attachments 
to  the  region  and  to  the  enterprise,  which  naturally  grew 
out  of  his  connection  with  them  ;  and  it  needed  but  a  very 
small  immediately  impelling  motive  to  cause  him  to  aban 
don  Virginia,  as  he  had  just  abandoned  to  their  fortunes. 
21 


318  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

the  unstable  and  obstinate  people  under  West.  That  im« 
pelling  circumstance  was  now  at  hand.  Passing  down  the 
river,  on  his  way  from  Nonsuch'to  Jamestown,  an  event 
occurred  which  nearly  deprived  him  of  life.  While  he 
slept,  his  powder-hag  was  accidentally  fired  by  one  of  the 
crew,  and  the  powder  exploding,  tore  and  lacerated  his 
body  in  a  most  shocking  manner.  Roused  by  the  sudden 
torture  from  his  sleep,  he  leapt  instantly  into  the  river, 
from  which  he  was  extricated  with  the  greatest  difficulty, 
and  not  before  he  was  almost  drowned.  In  this  condition, 
without  the  means  of  comfort  or  surgical  assistance,  he 
had  yet  nearly  a  hundred  miles  to  travel  in  an  open  boat 
before  he  could  arrive  at  either.  Suffering  thus  dreadfully, 
he  was  not  permitted  to  forget  the  cares  of  his  public  trust, 
in  his  physical  disquiets,  but  found  it  necessary,  on  reach 
ing  Jamestown,  to  address  his  energies  and  thoughts  much 
more  to  the  troubles  of  those  around  him,  than  to  any  of 
his  own.  There  he  found  everything  in  disorder  from  the 
activity  of  Ratcliffe,  Archer,  and  the  other  malcontents 
whom  he  had  arrested  for  their  mutinies.  The  time  for 
their  trial  was  approaching,  and  their  guilty  consciences 
counselled  them  rather  to  anticipate  that  period  by  new 
commotions,  than  quietly  await  its  issues.  Accordingly, 
these  creatures  were  busy,  and  so  active  and  audacious 
that  Captain  Smith  was  compelled,  on  his  return,  maimed 
and  mangled  as  he  was,  to  put  the  settlement  in  such  trim 
as  would  enable  it  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  a  sudden  as 
sault.  While  thus  making  his  preparations,  and  particu 
larly  striving  to  increase  the  store  of  provisions  for  the 
garrison,  his  miserable  condition  of  body — "  unable  to 
stand,  and  neere  bereft  of  his  senses  by  reason  of  his  tor 
ment"  -they  conceived  a  more  prompt  and  happy  expe 
dient  for  escaping  trial.  His  feebleness  inspired  their 
courage,  and  emboldened  them  to  try  an  experiment,  which, 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  319 

in  his  armor,  er^ct,  and  "  ready  with  his  conclusions," 
their  cowardly  spirits  would  never  for  a  moment  have  enter 
tained.  They  laid  their  plans  to  assassinate  him  in  his 
bed.  But  the  heart  of  thd  base  creature  who  had  been 
chosen  to  do  the  deed,  failed  him  at  the  proper  moment. 
He  dared  not  "give  fire  to  that  mercilesse  pistoll."  We 
are  not  told  whether  the  waking  eye  of  Smith  encountered 
the  assassin,  but,  if  it  did,  he  was  probably  quelled  and 
paralyzed,  as  was  the  savage  Cimbrian  wrho  had  been  sent 
by  the  magistracy  of  Miniums  to  butcher  Caius  Marius. 
The  voice,  the  eye,  and  probably  the  bare  aspect  of  a  man 
whom  even  the  worst  enemies  of  Smith  in  Virginia  had 
been  wont  to  fear,  must  have  done,  for  his  safety,  that 
which  his  own  skill  and  strength  could  no  longer  have 
achieved  in  this  moment  of  his  impotence.  The  murderer 
shrunk  from  the  duty  assigned  him,  and  other  modes  be 
came  necessary  by  which  the  confederate  malignants  should 
still  elude  the  justice  which  they  feared.  To  usurp  the 
government  seemed  the  only  process.  Smith  was  advised 
of  their  plans  in  time  to  baffle  them  ;  and,  at  this  period,  his 
old  soldiers  gave  him  a  new  proof  of  their  loyalty  and 
attachment.  Gathering  around  his  bed,  they  importuned 
him  to  suffer  them  at  once  to  take  off  the  heads  of  the 
conspirators,  and  thus,  at  a  single  stroke,  take  away  those 
branches,  which  had  been  so  fruitful  of  disease  and  hurt  to 
the  growth  of  the  colony.  But  Smith,  with  great  magna 
nimity,  refused  to  avail  himself  of  this  short  and  summary 
method  of  revenge.  He  was  sick  of  the  struggle,  and 
saw  no  reason  to  persevere  in  a  conflict,  for  which,  whether 
right  or  wrong,  whether  he- failed  or  triumphed,  he  was 
still  likely  to  suffer  blame.  His  hurts  of  body  contributed 
also  in  great  degree  to  lessen  those  nervous  energies  which 
might  have  made  his  mind  eager  to  redress  itself — to 
punish  his  enemies,  and  to  overcome  all  the  difliculiies 


820  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

which  they  might  raise  upon  his  path.  But  why  should 
he  still  continue  to  build  for  others  ?  Why  build  for 
those  who,  coming  after  him,  might  only  cast  down  his 
fabrics  ?  His  labors  for  several  years — the  arduous  con 
flict  which  he  had  maintained  for  the  establishment  of  the 
colony — the  firm  basis  upon  which  he  had  founded  the 
little  community  from  Europe,  in  spite  of  all  savage  oppo 
sition,  in  the  forests  of  America — ail  that  he  had  don 
with  what  recompense,  and  with  what  toil,  and  peril,  and 
annoyance — was  about  to  pass  to  strangers  !  What  mo 
tive  for  farther  exertion,  with  a  frame  writhing  in  agony, 
with  a  spirit  vexed  and  wearied  by  disappointment  ?  His 
resolves  were  more  pacific  and  more  honorable  than  his  old 
soldiers  would  have  had  them.  Contenting  himself  with 
taking  order  for  the  safety  of  the  colony,  by  placing  the 
government  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Percy,  he  sailed  in  the 
autumn  of  1609  from  Virginia,  which  he  was  never  again 
to  behold. 

Of  his  services  in  founding  the  English  colony,  the  his 
tory  of  which  has  so  far  been  his  own,  we  have  endea 
vored  to  afford  an  account  as  lively  and  correct  as  possible. 
We  cannot  doubt  that  it  survived  only  through  his  wis 
dom,  his  courage,  and  his  great  enterprise.  He  was  the 
master  spirit  of  his  little  empire  ;  for  one  year  its  presi 
dent  ;  and,  during  the  whole  term  of  his  stay  in  the  coun 
try — something  more  than  two  years — its  chief  support 
and  security.  To  those  accustomed  to  measure  events  by 
their  magnitude  alone,  the  petty  details  which  character 
ize  an  infant  settlement  such  as  we  have  described — the 
small  cares  of  providing  food  for  wandering  men,  and  con 
tending  for  their  lives  against  bands  of  naked  savages — it 
will  seem  something  of  an  extravagance,  not  to  say  absurd 
ity,  to  claim  for  him,  whose  life  is  consumed  in  such 
performances,  the  merits  of  great  heroism  P\tf  we  are 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  32 1 

free  to  express  our  conviction,  that  the  successful  conflict 
with  the  minor  necessities  of  life,  in  strange  situations, 
against  active  hostility  from  without,  and  an  antipathy 
within  quite  as  active,  though  less  overt,  and  with  such 
inadequate  resources  as  were  in  the  possession  of  our 
Captain,  require  resources  of  thought,  will,  courage, 
energy,  and  magnanimity,  quite  as  great  as  are  usually 
exercised  by  the  victorious  chieftain  ;  the  vastness  of 
whose  performance,  alone,  rather  than  its  value,  and  the 
obstacles  which  have  opposed  it,  constitutes  his  whole 
claim  to  renown  and  eminence.  Smith,  in  the  employ 
ment  of  a  company  who  had  but  a  vague  idea  of  their  own 
objects,  and  an  imperfect  notion  of  the  sort  of  adventure 
upon  which  he  went,  was  continually  under  the  check  and 
rebuke  of  a  power  which  could  neither  direct  his  labors 
nor  appreciate  his  performances.  They  could  find  no 
merit  in  obtaining  a  foothold  in  a  foreign  and  hostile  re 
gion,  from  which  their  extravagant  fancies  anticipated 
nothing  less  than  treasure.  The  vast  utility  of  what  he 
succeeded  in  doing,  in  founding  his  colony,  in  spite  of 
inadequate  numbers,  deficient  materials,  starvation,  sick 
ness,  and  mutiny,  was  not  to  be  felt  or  understood,  where 
such  insane  fancies  prevailed  in  the  face  of  all  sober  rea 
son  and  reflection.  That  he  should  not  have  satisfied  his 
employers  who  sat  in  silken  security  at  home,  is  by  nc 
means  matter  of  surprise.  That  he  should  not  have  pleas 
ed  the  effeminate  and  the  profligate  with  whose  preserva 
tion  he  was  burdened,  and  whom  he  made  to  toil  in  un 
wonted  labors,  when  it  was  their  passion  to  live  wholly 
on  the  toils  and  risks  of  others,  is.  quite  as  little  within 
the  range  of  expectation  ;  and  that  his  career  should  have 
proved  grateful  to  the  savage  tribes  whom  he  overcame — 
whom  he  alone  could  overcome — whom  he  subdued  to 
— whom  he  made  tributary  to  his  necessities — and 


322  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

upon  whose  territories  he  fixed  a  foot  so  fast  that  no 
improvidence  in  his  successors,  however  extreme,  could 
enable  them  to  fling  it  off — was  not  within  the  bounds  of 
reason  and  belief.  And  yet,  in  the  respect  of  all  these, 
he  secured  such  a  place,  that  we  find  the  savages  volunteer 
ing  their  arms  to  strengthen  his  power  against  the  profligate 
and  refractory  of  his  own  people  ; — we  find  the  veterans 
whom  he  had  trained  to  successes  by  his  strict  and  undis- 
criminating  justice,  forgetting  all  their  prejudices,  and 
proffering  to  bring  him  the  heads  of  his  enemies  ; — and 
in  regard  to  his  general  merits  in  the  establishment  of  the 
colony,  we  discover  that,  surviving  all  the  misrepresenta 
tions  of  that  scurvy  pack,  the  Archers,  the  Newports,  and 
the  Ratcliffes,  the  world  of  England,  very  soon  after  he 
left  Virginia,  justly  accorded  him  the  credit  of  being  its 
true  founder  and  sole  parent.  Time,  that  great  avenger, 
has  ratified  the  awards  of  justice,  and  posterity  confirms 
the  decision  which  even  contemporaneous  history  was  dis 
posed  to  make  in  the  case  of  our  hero.  But,  unless  our 
narrative  has  satisfied  the  reader  of  his  great  and  superior 
merits,  any  summary  at  this  stage  in  our  progress  will 
utterly  fail  to  supply  the  deficiency.  It  will  be  enough 
here  to  furnish  that  which  we  have  at  the  hands  of  certain 
of  his  followers  in  Virginia.  One  of  the  authorities  from 
which  we  derive  our  materials,  thus  rudely  but  forcibly 
accumulates,  in  one  paragraph,  and  characterizes  his  per 
formances.  "  By  this  you  may  see  for  all  those  crosses, 
trecheries,  and  dissentions,  how  he  wrestled  and  overcame 
(without  bloodshed)  all  that  happened  ;  also  what  good 
was  done  ;  how  few  dyed  ;  what  food  the  country  natu 
rally  afFordeth ;  what  small  cause  there  is  men  should 
starve,  or  be  murthered  by  the  salvages,  that  have  discre 
tion  to  manage  them,  with  courage  and  industrie.  The 
two  first  yeares,  though  by  his  adventures,  he  had  oft 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  323 

brought  the  salvages  to  a  tractable  trade,  yet  you  see 
how  the  envious  authorise  ever  crossed  him,  and  frustrat 
ed  his  best  endeavors.  But  it  wrought  in  him  that  expe 
rience  and  estimation  amongst  the  salvages  as  otherwise 
it  had  bin  impossible  he  had  ever  effected  what  he  did. 
Notwithstanding  the  many  miserable,  yet  generou?  and 
worthy  adventures  he  had  oft  and  long  endured  in  the 
wide  world,  yet,  in  this  case,  he  was  againe  to  learne  his 
lecture  by  experience.  Which,  with  thus  much  adoe 
having  obtained,  it  was  his  ill  chance  to  end,  when  he  had 
but  onely  learned  how  to  begin." 

This  is  well  and  honestly  stated.  The  writer  proceeds 
to  hint  what  was  the  contrast  between  his  successes  and 
those  of  the  persons  by  whom  he  was  succeeded.  <c  And 
though  he  left  those  unknowne  difficulties  made  easy  and 
familiar  to  his  unlawful  successors  (who  onely  by  living 
in  Jamestowne  presumed  to  know  more  than  all  the  world 
could  direct  them)  now, —  though  they  had  all  his  soul- 
diers,  with  a  tripple  power,  and  twice  tripple  better 
meanes, — by  what  they  have  done  in  his  absence,  tne 
world  may  see  what  they  would  have  done  in  his  presence 
had  he  not  prevented  their  indiscretions  :  it  doth  justly 
prove  what  cause  he  had  to  send  them  for  England,  and 
that  he  was  neither  factious,  mutinous,  nor  dishonest.  But 
they  have  made  it  more  plaine  since  his  return  for  Eng 
land,  having  his  absolute  authoritie  freely  in  their  powei, 
writh  all  the  advantages  and  opportunity  that  his  labours 
had  effected." 

It  does  not  belong  to  our  present  labors  to  continue  the 
history  of  events  in  Virginia  after  the  departure  of  our 
hero,  yet,  in  confirmation  of  the  preceding  extract,  and  to 
show  by  relative  results  what  were  his  real  claims  upon 
the  admiration  of  those  who  appreciated  the  deeds  of  a 
proper  manhood,  it  may  be  well  to  mention  that  his  de- 


324  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

parture  from  the  colony  was  followed  by  misery  and 
disaster.  The  seditious  portion  of  the  population  got  the 
ascendency  ;  Martin  and  West  abandoned  their  separate 
settlements  with  the  loss  of  half  their  men;  the  Indians, 
as  soon  as  they  were  sure  of  the  absence  of  that  command 
ing  genius  which  had  always  held  them  in  such  complete 
subjection,  revolted  and  murdered  all  whom  they  met. 
Instead  of  one,  the  colonists  had  twenty  Presidents,  each 
with  his  bullies  and  retainers ;  the  provisions  which  Smith 
had  gathered  with  so  much  care  were  soon  wasted,  and 
West  and  Ratcliffe,  going  forth  to  trade  for  supplies  with 
the  Indians,  the  former  fled  to  England,  and  the  latter,  set 
upon  by  the  savages,  was  slain  with  thirty  of  his  soldiers : 
but  one  boy  of  the  number  escaped,  preserved  by  the  mer 
ciful  interposition  of  Pocahontas.  It  was  not  long  before 
the  worst  enemies  and  maligners  of  Smith,  subdued  by 
suffering  and  danger  to  a  proper  sense  of  their  equal  feeble 
ness  and  undesert,  deplored  his  absence,  and,  in  the  bitter 
ness  of  their  hearts,  cursed  their  destinies  by  which  that 
event  had  been  precipitated. 

Such  was  the  distress  and  suffering  of  the  colonists,  from 
famine  and  the  unremitting  hostility  of  the  savages,  that,  of 
five  hundred  persons  whom  Smith  left  behind  him  in  the 
colony,  there  remained  living,  at  the  end  of  six  months, 
scarcely  more  than  sixty — men,  women,  and  children — 
and  these  preserved  a  wretched  existence  by  living  upon 
roots  and  herbs,  acorns,  and  wild  nuts,  and  berries  of 
the  wood.  From  the  Indians  they  got  little  else  than 
scoffs  and  wounds.  They  traded  away  their  swords  and 
firelocks  for  food,  and  thus  fell  easier  victims  to  their  foes. 
Famine,  in  its  most  horrid  forms,  assailed  them.  The 
very  skins  of  their  horses  were  devoured.  A  portion 
among  them  disinterred  an  Indian,  who  had  been  slain  and 
ouned,  and,  having  eaten  him,  followed  up  the  horrid 


LITE    OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH  325 

taste  for  human  food,  by  preying  upon  one  anothei  One 
miserable  wretch  slew  his  own  wife,  and  had  devoured  a 
portion  of  the  carcass  before  he  was  detected.  But  we 
gladly  turn  from  a  spectacle  so  wretched,  which  nothing 
but  the  rare  conduct,  ability  and  courage  of  our  hero  had 
kept  from  being  seen  in  the  colony  before.  The  day 
of  retribution  was  not  long  deferred  after  his  departure, 
and  no  more  triumphant  attestation  of  his  wonderful 
merits,  for  such  a,  service,  could  be  found,  than  in  the  con 
trast  between  the  history  of  Virginia  during  his  adminis 
tration,  and  that  of  the  first  six  months  by  which  it  wag 
succeeded.  We  must  now  follow  him  to  England. 


BOOK    FOURTH. 


CHAPTER    I. 

OF  "  our  Captaine,"  returned  to  his  native  land,  we  near 
little  or  nothing  for  several  years.  A  period  of  physical 
repos-e  seems  to  have  been  necessary  to  his  career  after 
so  long  a  conflict  with  danger  and  privation.  It  is  proba 
ble  that  he  suffered  for  some  time  after  reachin^  England 

G  O 

from  his  injuries  by  gunpowder  ;  for,  just  before  leaving 
Virginia,  we  are  told,  "  so  grievous  were  his  wounds,  and 
so  cruel  his  torments,  that  few  expected  he  could  live." 
He  did  live,  but  his  cure  was  probably  a  tedious  one  ;  and 
habits  of  reading  and  study,  induced  by  the  confinement 
of  his  chamber,  in  all  probability  opened  new  resources  to 
his  mind,  particularly  at  a  period  of  great  physical  exhaus 
tion.  It  is  likely  that  he  conceived,  while  in  this  situa 
tion,  those  plans  of  study,  and  followed  out  those  inqui 
ries  in  history,  which  led  him  subsequently  to  become  a 
somewhat  voluminous  writer.  In  1612  he  published  his 
"  map  of  Virginia,  with  a  description  of  the  countrey,  the 
commodities,  people,  government  and  religion."  To  this 
work  was  annexed  the  history  published  under  the  name 
of  William  Simmons,  "  Doctour  of  Divinitie  ;"  to  which 
the  biographers  of  Smith  have  been  so  largely  indebted. 
And  we  have  no  doubt  that,  during  the  interval  between 
his  departure  from  Virginia,  his  voyages  to,  and  disco- 
verv  in  New  Kno-land,  about  five  years,  he  employed  no 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH.  327 

portion  of  his  time  in  a  course  of  study,  of  which  his 
youth  had  been  neglectful — supplying  those  deficiencies 
of  his  early  education,  which  he  might  ascribe  as  much 
to  his  own  erratic  temper  as  to  the  indifference  and  self 
ishness  of  his  guardians.  Smith,  indeed,  became  some 
thing  of  a  literary  man.  He  held  the  pen  quite  as  vigor 
ously  as  he  did  the  sword  ;  used  it  with  a  flourish  ;  and. 
if  frequently  rude  and  incoherent  in  his  style,  he  some 
times  made  ample  amends  for  his  short-comings  by  snatch 
ing  "a  grace  beyond  the  reach  of  art."  He  was  bold  in 
the  use  of  figures  ;  and,  where  he  wrote  from  his  own 
experience,  and  without  affectations,  he  was  sometimes 
uncommonly  spirited,  and  even  eloquent.  His  associates 
seem  to  have  been  men  of  letters.  Some  of  his  followers 
in  Virginia  were  verse  makers  like  himself.  The  custom 
of  that  time  was  to  hail  the  appearance  of  the  successful 
author  with  ode  and  sonnet,  insisting  upon  his  merits  and 
peculiar  claims  upon  the  muse.  It  was  a  custom  that  had 
its  beneficial  uses,  though  liable  to  some  objections.  His 
volumes  are  introduced  to  the  public  by  epistles  from  his 
admirers.  R.  Brathwait  tells  him  : 

"  Two  greatest  shires  of  England  did  thee  beare, 
Renowned  Yorkshire,  Gaunt-stild  Lancashire  :" 

reminds  him  of  his  conquests  over  the  affections  of  Tra- 
gabigzanda,  the  Lady  Callarnata,  Pocahontas,  &c.,  all  of 
whom  did  for  him 

"  What  love  with  modesty  could  doe ;" 

and  concludes,  punning  upon  his  name,  with  the  wisn  that 
we  had 

"  Many  such  Smiths  in  this  our  Israel." 

Anthony  Fereby  writes  in  better,  and  bolder,  and  truei 
verses  : — 


328  LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

'  Thou  hast  a  course  most  full  of  honour  runne : 

Envy  may  suarle  as  dogges  against  the  sunne, 

May  bark,  not  bite ;  for  what  deservedly 

With  thy  lilt's  danger,  valour,  policy, 

duaint,  warlike  stratagems,  ability 

And  judgment  thou  hast  got,  fame  sets  so  high 

Detraction  cannot  reach :  thy  worth  shall  stand 

A  patterne  to  succeeding  ages,  and 

Clothed  in  thine  owne  lines  ever  shall  add  grace 

Unto  thy  native  country  and  thy  race." 

Edward  Jordan  writes  in  a  long  strain,  of  which  these 
lines  will  serve  our  purpose  : 

"  I  know  none 

That  like  thyself  hast  come,  and  gone,  and  runne, 
To  such  praiseworthy  actions." 

Richard  James,  after  enumerating  the  martial  virtues 
of  his  subject,  thus  insists  upon  his  literary  as  well  as  mili 
tary  merits  : 

"  Whose  sword  and  pen  in  bold,  ruffe,  martial-wise, 
Put  forth  to  try  and  beare  away  the  prize 
From  Csesar  and  Blaize  Monluc." 

M.  Hawkins  notices  yet  other  qualities  which  the  lover 
of  military  glory  does  not  often  insist  upon — 

"  None  can  truly  say  thou  didst  deceive 

Thy  soldiers,  sailors,  merchants  or  thy  friends, 

But  all  from  thee  a  true  account  receive." 

He  adds — and  thus  furnishes  the  proof  of  what  he  asserts, 

"  Yet  naught  to  thee  all  these  thy  virtues  bring. " 
Richard  Meade  gives  him  that  credit  of 

"  Founding  a  common  weale 
In  faire  America," 

the  proofs  of  which  are,  we  humbly  think,  conclusively 
embodied  in  this  volume  ;  and  so  we  are  furnished  with 
the  testimonies  of  Edward  Ingham,  M  Gartner,  Brian 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  32& 

O'Rourke,  S.  Tanner  and  others,  all  of  which  prove  the 
esteem  if  not  the  poetical  endowments  of  his  contempora 
ries.  Some  of  his  followers  in  Virginia  are  among  these 
tribute-bringers.  J.  Coddington  signs  himself  "your 
sometime  souldier,  now  templar."  Raleigh  Crashaw 
writes,  "  in  the  deserved  honour  of  my  honest  and  worthy 
Captain,  John  Smith  and  his  work."  He  says,  among 
other  things, 

"  With  due  descretion  and  undaunted  heart, 
I  oft  so  well  have  scene  thee  act  thy  part 
In  deepest  plunge  of  hard  extremitie, 
As  forct  the  troops  of  proudest  foes  to  flee, 
Though  men  of  greater  rank  and  less  desert, 
Would  pish-a.\va,y  thy  praise — it  cannot  start 
From  the  true  owner." 

"  Michael  Phettiplace,  Will  Phettiplace  and  Richard 
Wyffin,  gentlemen  and  souldiers  under  Captain  Smith's 
command,"  give  similar  evidence,  but  in  greater  detail  * 

"  Thou  heldst  the  King  of  Paspahegh  enchained, 
Thou  all  alone  this  salvage  sterne  didst  take. 
Pamaunkee's  king  wee  saw  thee  captive  make 
Among  seven  hundred  of  his  stoutest  men, 
To  murder  thee  and  us  resolved,  when 
Fast  by  the  haire  thou  ledst  this  salvage  grim, 
Thy  pistoll  at  his  breast,"  &c. 

Of  Smith's  own  lines  the  specimens  are  few,  and  they 
do  not  impress  us  with  the  poetry  of  his  verse,  though  his 
prose  writings  are  full  of  evidence  that  he  possessed  a 
warm  and  lively  fancy.  There  is,  at  the  opening  of  his 
work  about  New  England,  a  copy  of  verses  entitled  the 
"  Sea-marke,"  which  appear  as  coming  from  his  pen. 
They  possess  considerable  merit,  and  are  dec'dedly  better 
than  many  other  samples  of  this  order  which  have  been  pre 
served  to  us.  They  remind  us  of  such  writers  as  John 
Davies  and  Philip  Quarles,  and  have  that  peculiar  quaint- 


330  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

ness  of  tone  which  marked  the  verses  of  the  Elizabethan 
period.  It  is  but  fair  that  we  give  them  to  the  reader  in 
this  connection.  They  are  better  lines  than  those  of  his 
eulogists. 

THE    SEA-MARKE. 

Aloofe,  aloofe,  and  come  no  neare, 
The  dangers  doe  appeare, 
Which,  if  my  mine  had  not  beene, 
You  had  not  seene  : 
I  only  lie  upon  this  shelfe 

To  be  a  marke  to  all 

Which  on  the  same  may  fall, 
That  none  may  perish  but  myself. 

If  in  or  outward  you  be  bound 

Do  not  forget  to  sound  ; 

Neglect  of  that  was  caused  of  this 

To  steer  amisse. 

The  seas  were  calm,  the  winde  was  faire, 

That  made  me  so  secure, 

That  now  I  must  endure 
All  weathers,  be  they  foule  or  faire. 

The  winter's  cold,  the  summer's  heat* 

Alternatively  beat 

Upon  my  bruised  sides,  that  rue, 

Because  too  true, 

That  no  reliefe  can  ever  come  ; 

But  why  should  I  despaire 

Being  promised  so  faire, 
That  there  shall  be  a  day  of  Dome. 

The  moral  counsel  in  these  verses  is  not  confined  to  the 
seaman.  The  caution  was  such  as  Smith  practised  whe 
ther  on  land  or  sea.  Ke  had,  in  rare  proportion,  that 
u  due  discretion"  for  which  his  admirer  gives  him  praise, 
along  with  the  merit  of  "  great  valiantnesse."  Certainly, 
never  was  the  courage  of  the  soldier  more  happily  coupled 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  331 

with  the  calm  over-ruling  judgment  of  the  Captain  than  in 
the  case  of  Smith. 

Such,  then,  for  five  years  after  he  left  Virginia  seem 
to  have  been  the  exercises — we  must  not  call  them  amuse 
ments — in  which  our  adventurer  indulged.  But  though 
he  read  in  books,  and  mixed  with  literary  men,  his  studies 
had  but  one  direction..  The  books  which  he  grappled 
were  those  of  adventure  and  discovery.  The  books  he 
wrote  were  of  war,  travel,  and  colonization  ;  how  coun 
tries  were  to  be  explored  and  settled  ;  and  how  men  were 
to  be  trained  for  such  objects  and  employments.  He  was 
not  forgetful  of  Virginia.  His  heart  was  still  fondly  set 
upon  the  fortunes  of  that  colony.  After  alleging,  in  the 
opening  of  his  treatise  entitled  u  The  Pathway  to  Kxpe- 
rience  to  erect  a  Plantation,''  that  "  all  our  plantations 
have  been  so  foyled  and  abused,  their  best  good  willes 
have  been  for  the  most  part  discouraged  and  disgraced  ;" 
—he  adds,  "  but  pardon  me  if  I  offend  in  loving  that  I 
have  cherished  truly,  by  the  losse  of  my  prime,  fortunes, 
meanes  and  youth."  This  is  a  melancholy  sentiment, 
which  is  but  too  frequently  heard  to  fall  from  the  lips  of 
those  who  fall  the  victims  to  their  own  enthusiasm,  in  the 
service  of  the  selfish.  His  youth — speaking  comparatively 
— gone,  his  means  exhausted,  his  successes  questioned, 
and  the  prospect  of  future  employment  small,  the  forwai  d 
glance  of  Smith  must  have  shown  him  but  a  gloomy  ar  d 
cheerless  pathway.  He  might  well  look  back  upon  tLe 
history  of  past  struggles  in  Virginia  with  mixed  feelings 
of  fondness  and  mortification.  He  had  been  successful 
there  ;  he  had  done  what  no  other  person  could  have 
done  ;  and  of  this  neither  malice  nor  envy  could  despoil 
his  name.  His  successors  were  offering  daily  proof  to  the 
nation  which  tended  to  the  elevation  of  Smith's  abilities 
and  virtues.  We  have  already  afforded  a  glimpse  of  the 


332  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

ruin  and  disaster  by  which  his  departure  had  been  distin 
guished.  The  continued  history  of  the  settlement  while 
he  lay  unemployed  in  England,  conclusively  showed  how 
entirely  the  colony  had  been  indebted  to  the  one  man  foj 
its  preservation  in  past  years.  To  this  history  we  must 
return  during  the  period  of  Smith's  sojourn  in  England  ; 
not  so  much  with  a  view  to  its  details,  as  with  regard  to 
the  fortunes  of  certain  individuals  in  whom  our  sympathies 
have  been  awakened  by  the  previous  narrative.  The 
name  of  Pocahontas  is  too  nearly  associated  with  that  of 
Smith  to  suffer  us  to  lose  her  from  our  sight ;  nor  can  we 
part  abruptly  with  the  grim  chief,  her  shrewd  and  politic 
old  father.  These,  with  the  remarkable  savage,  Ope- 
chancanough,  will  demand  just  enough  of  our  attention  to 
give  a  dramatic  interest  to  our  biography. 

A  continual  change  of  governors  followed  the  departure 
of  Smith,  and  indicated  quite  as  much  as  anything  else 
the  evil  administration  of  the  colony.  Percy  succeeded 
Smith  ;  was  succeeded  by  Sir  Thomas  Gates  ;  he  by  Lord 
Delaware  ;  Delaware  by  Percy  again  ;  Percy  by  Sir  Tho 
mas  Dale  ;  Dale  by  Gates  again  ;  Gates  by  Dale  once 
more  ;  and  Dale  by  Mr.  George  Yeardly  ;  and  all  these 
changes  were  made  in  the  short  space  of  six  years.  In 
this  brief  period  the  colonists  were  deeply  and  irretrieva 
bly  embroiled  with  the  Indians,  whom  they  soon  began  to 
massacre,  and  whose  villages  they  devoted  to  the  flames. 
They  were  followed  by  flames  and  massacre  in  turn.  The 
Indians,  driven  to  fury,  took  courage  against  their  tyrants  ; 
and  what  with  their  hostility,  and  the  idleness  and  mutinous 
dispositions  of  the  colonists,  the  latter  were  soon  in  danger 
of  famine.  They  were  saved  only  by  supplies  from  Eng 
land.  New  towns  were  established,  and  old  ones  taken 
from  the  savages.  The  temper  of  Povvhatan  was  not  im 
proved  by  these  events.  The  sympathy  which  Poca- 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  333 

hontas  expressed  for  the  pale-faces  had  estranged  from 
her  the  affections  of  the  vindictive  old  man.  She  lived 
with  him  no  longer,  but  found  her  abode  in  some  secresy 
with  her  relations,  the  King  and  Queen  of  Potomack. 
She  was  no  longer  able  to  influence  her  father's  mind  in 
behalf  of  the  English  captives,  and  she  fled  from  exhi 
bitions  of  cruelty  which  her  entreaties  failed  to  arrest. 
She  thought  herself  safe  in  the  keeping  of  her  relatives 
She  was  yet  to  find  herself  painfully  deceived.  Thfc 
English,  under  Capt.  Argall,  obtained  intelligence  of  hei 
hiding  place,  and  the  cupidity  of  Japazaws  and  his  wife, 
with  whom  she  found  shelter,  was  excited  by  the  bribes 
of  Argall.  They  were  prevailed  upon  to  bring  her  on 
ooard  the  ships  of  the  English.  Pocahontas  had  already 
seen  the  great  canoes,  but  the  wife  of  Japazaws  had  been 
less  fortunate.  Her  curiosity  became  a  passion  which 
must  be  gratified,  and  Pocahontas  yielded  to  her  entrea 
ties.  Why  should  she  fear  evil  at  the  hands  of  the  Eng 
lish  ?  She,  who  had  so  frequently  interposed  to  save 
them — who  was  even  then  under  the  frown  of  her  father, 
because  of  her  unnatural  love  for  his  enemies  !  Certainly, 
unless  by  assuming  for  them  a  character  of  the  utmost 
ingratitude,  she  had  no  reason  to  apprehend  treachery 
from  them. 

Her  confidence  was  misplaced.  Once  in  the  vessel  of 
Argall,  she  was  decoyed  into  the  gun-room,  and  there 
informed  that  she  was  a  prisoner.  Her  prayers  availed 
her  nothing.  Her  tears  were  wasted  upon  the  selfish 
nature  of  the  English  captain.  Old  Japazaws  and  his 
treacherous  wife  were  loud  in  their  bowlings  and  entrea 
ties,  the  better  to  persuade  the  unhappy  girl  of  their  inno 
cence,  but  they  were  quite  satisfied  when  they  were  put 
ashore  with  their  copper-kettle,  which  had  been  the  price 
of  their  miserable  treachery. 


334  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

The  lesson  which  Argall  thus  put  in  practice  was 
out  of  Spanish  books.  Failing  to  compass  the  capture  of 
the  king,  his  daughter  was  a  prize  that  promised  a  goodly 
ransom.  She  was  the  favorite  of  her  sire — had  been  the 
nonpareil  in  the  days  of  Captain  Smith's  administration. 
It  was  assumed  that  Powhatan  would  pay  with  liberal 
hands  that  she  might  be  restored  to  his  eyes.  A  messenger 
was  dispatched  to  him.  He  was  told  that  his  daughter 
could  only  be  ransomed  by  a  prompt  restoration,  to  the 
English,  of  all  the  men,  the  guns,  tools  and  weapons,  which 
he  had  obtained  by  theft,  purchase  or  conquest  from  the 
English.  From  Smith,  Powhatan  never  succeeded  in  pro 
curing  arms.  But  the  factious  and  lazy  colonists,  after  hre 
departure,  in  the  loose  rule  which  followed,  procured  their 
corn  and  tobacco  from  the  savages  by  giving  them  their 
swords  and  matchlocks.  Smith  says  sarcastically,  "  And 
the  loving  salvages,  their  kinde  friends,  they  trained  so 
well  up  to  shoot  in  a  piece,  to  hunt  and  kill  their  fowle, 
they  became  more  expert  than  our  owne  countrymen." 

It  was  necessary  to  recover  the  weapons  so  improvi- 
dently  entrusted  to  their  hands,  and  hence  the  conditions 
for  the  ransom  of  Pocahontas.  They  were  too  stringent 
for  the  ambitious  nature  of  Powhatan,  though  the  news  of 
his  daughter's  capture  troubled  him  much  beyond  all  ordi 
nary  cause  of  grief.  He  made  an  effort  to  obtain  her 
release.  He  sent  back  seven  English  prisoners,  with  each 
an  unserviceable  musket.  He  promised  them,  upon  the 
release  of  his  daughter,  to  make  them  satisfaction  for  all 
injuries,  to  enter  with  them  into  a  treaty  of  peace,  and  to 
give  them  five  hundred  bushels  of  corn.  But  this  did  not 
satisfy  her  captors.  They  demanded  that  he  should  return 
everything,  give  up  his  whole  treasure  of  English  arms, 
upon  which  he  had  set  his  heart  from  the  first  moment  of 
his  knowledge  of  their  use.  The  love  of  the  father  wan 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  335 

not  equaJ  to  the  ambition  of  the  king.  He  indignantly  re 
fused  any  answer  to  the  demand,  and  for  some  time  they 
heard  nothing  from  him.  They  carried  her  up  to  Wero- 
wocomo  under  a  strong  guard  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  apprised  him  that  they  came  to  restore  her  to  his 
arms,  but  repeated  the  original  terms  of  her  ransom.  He 
refused  to  see  them,  and  answered  their  propositions  only 
with  scorn  and  defiance.  Some  skirmishes  ensued,  in 
which  the  Indians  suffered  some  injury  and  had  their  houses 
burnt,  but  the  stern  old  emperor  was  implacable.  The 
brothers  of  Pocahontas  were  permitted  to  visit  her  on 
board  of  the  English  vessel,  but  the  concession  led  to  no 
thing.  The  whites  were  compelled  to  return  to  James 
town,  leaving  the  savages  more  embittered  than  ever 
against  them. 

But  a  new  agent  was  busy  in  bringing  about  a  pacifica 
tion,  upon  which  neither  the  English  nor  the  Indians  had 
made  any  calculation.  This  was  love.  Pocahontas  was 
now  about  eighteen  years  of  age.  She  had,  from  her  ear 
liest  knowledge  of  the  English,  been  impressed  with  their 
superiority.  She  had  loved  them  as  a  race  beyond  her 
own,  and  had  given  her  entire  veneration  to  their  sagacious 
leader.  A  tenderer  sentiment  consoled  her  in  her  capti 
vity.  Her  affections  were  won  by  John  Rolfe,  an  Eng 
lishman  of  good  family  and  worth.  His  addresses  were 
sanctioned  by  Sir  Thomas  Dale,  the  then  Governor  of 
Virginia,  and  finally  received  the  sanction  of  Powhatan. 
But  he  would  not  risk  his  person  to  be  present  at  the  mar 
riage.  He  sent  one  of  her  uncles,  Opachisco,  and  two  of 
his  sons,  to  witness  the  ceremonies,  which  were  solemnized 
in  the  spring  of  1613.  This  event  softened  the  asperities 
between  the  opposing  races.  It  subdued  the  hate,  if  it  did 
not  secure  the  love  of  Powhatan  for  the  stranger  people, 
and  a  treaty  of  peace,  followed  by  a  resumption  of  al] 


3  36  LIFEOF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

friendly  relations,  was  the  result  of  an  event  which  all  par* 
ties  considered  auspicious.  a  Powhatan's  daughter,"  says 
Sir  Thomas  Dale,  in  a  letter  from  Jamestown,  dated  June 
18,  1614,  "I  caused  to  be  carefully  instructed  in  the 
Christian  religion,  who, after  she  had  made  such  progress 
therein,  renounced  publicly  her  country's  idolatry,  openly 
confessed  her  Christian  faith,  was,  as  she  desired,  baptized, 
and  is  since  married  to  an  English  gentleman  of  good  un 
derstanding  (as  by  his  letter  unto  me,  containing  the  rea 
sons  of  his  marriage  unto  her,  you  may  perceive) — ano 
ther  knot  to  bind  the  knot  the  stronger.  Her  father  and 
friends  gave  approbation  of  it,  and  her  uncle  gave  her  to 
him  in  the  church.  She  lives  civilly  and  lovingly  with 
him,  and  1  trust  will  increase  in  goodnesse  as  the  know 
ledge  of  God  increaseth  in  her.  She  will  goe  into  Eng 
land  with  mee,  and  were  it  but  the  gaining  of  this  one 
suih,  I  will  think  my  time,  toile  and  present  stay  welJ 
spent." 


CHAPTER    H. 

THE  resources  of  Captain  Smith  were  no  doubt  very  much 
diminished  by  the  life  of  comparative  repose  which  he  led 
in  England,  and  by  the  expenses  attending  his  cure.  On 
this  subject  we  are  left  wholly  to  conjecture.  But,  whe 
ther  he  finally  obeyed  the  impulses  of  his  nature,  or  the 
necessities  of  his  condition,  we  find  him  in  1614  engaging 
in  new  perils  and  adventures,  such  as  he  had  endured  and 
abandoned  in  Virginia.  It  is  safe  to  assume,  that  a  tem 
perament  so  active  and  a  mind  so  curious  after  discovery, 
could  not  rest  in  idleness,  whatever  might  have  been  his 
worldly  means.  His  studies  were  of  a  sort  to  keep  up  in 
his  bosom  a  passion  for  adventure  ;  and  his  spirit  yearned 
to  lay  bare  the  secret  resources  of  that  new  continent,  in 
the  fate  of  which  his  sympathies  were  deeply  engaged. 
He  longed  to  emulate  the  achievements  of  the  Spaniards 
in  the  southern  portions  of  the  country,  though  with  a 
very  decided  English  abhorrence  of  their  faithless  and 
bloody  processes  for  conquest.  To  seek  Virginia,  a  second 
time,  though  Virginia  really  seemed  to  need  his  genius  for 
its  preservation,  was  not  to  be  entertained,  while  a  sense 
of  the  injustice  with  which  he  had  been  treated  by  the 
proprietors  of  that  colony,  was  still  fresh  and  rankling  in 
his  memory.  His  eyes  were  fixed,  accordingly,  on  that 
portion  of  the  English  discovery  which  was  then  entitled 
North  Virginia.  Attempts  had  been  made,  probably  with 
his  advice,  by  a  company  of  London  merchants,  who  sent 
forth  one  or  more  expeditions  in  this  quarter.  A  settle 
ment  had  actually  been  made  by  the  Plymouth  Company, 


338  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

on  the  coast  of  Maine,  in  1607,  and  a  small  colony  had 
passed  a  cheerless  winter  in  that  region.  Their  experi 
ence  was  such  as  to  prompt  their  abandonment  of  the 
country,  of  wrhich  they  gave  a  most  discouraging  account ; 
the  effect  of  which  was  to  prevent  other  attempts  of  the 
same  sort,  until  the  peculiar  genius  of  Smith  was  brought 
to  shape  the  enterprise.  In  the  month  of  April,  1614,  ne 
set  sail  from  London  with  two  ships.  The  expenses  of 
the  outfit  were  defrayed  by  himself  and  four  London  mer 
chants.  At  this  time,  the  land  to  which  his  prows  were 
directed,  was  regarded  as  a  most  inhospitable  desert — a 
vast  tract  of  barren  waste  and  rock — which  was  known 
in  Europe  as  Nurembega,  Canada,  Penaquida,  North 
Virginia,  &c.,  precisely  as  it  suited  the  tastes  of  those  to 
call  it  by  whom  its  uninviting  coasts  were  ranged.  Nor 
was  it  the  leading  purpose  of  the  present  voyage  that  a 
settlement  should  be  made  in  the  country.  The  scheme 
of  the  adventurers  was  partly  the  whale-fishery,  partly  a 
search  after  mines  of  gold  and  copper  ;  and,  in  the  event 
of  their  failure  in  the  search  after  these  objects,  then  "  fish 
and  furs  were  to  be  their  refuge."  But  "we  found  this 
whale-fishing  a  costly  conclusion.  We  saw  many,  and 
spent  much  time  in  chasing  them,  but  could  not  kill  any." 
The  search  after  gold  was  as  little  profitable.  "  It  was 
rathor  the  master's  device  to  get  a  voyage  that  projected 
it,  than  any  knowledge  we  had  of  any  such  matter." 
Fish  and  furs  next  demanded  the  attention  of  our  voya 
gers,  but  here  again  it  was  discovered  that  their  quest 
was  likely  to  be  in  vain.  "  By  our  late  arrival  and  long 
lingering  about  the  whale,  the  prime  of  both  these  seasons 
was  past  ere  we  perceived  it."  Some  fish  were  taken, 
but  not  enough  to  defray  the  charge  of  the  expedition. 
About  sixty  thousand  cod  were  the  fruit  of  a  month's 
fishing  of  eighteen  men,  while  Smith,  with  eight  others 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  339 

ranging  the  coast  in  an  open  boat,  obtained  from  the 
savages  moie  than  ten  thousand  beaver,  one  hundred  mar 
tin,  and  as  many  otter  skins.  These  were  procured  at 
small  expense.  On  this  progress,  Smith  amused  himself 
with  making  a  chart  of  the  coast,  and  writing  down  all  the 
particulars  which  he  could  gather  of  the  country,  to  which 
he  gave  the  name  of  New  England,  which  it  now  bears, 
and  will  probably  bear  for  ever. 

Within  six  months  after  leaving  the  Downs,  he  returned 
with  one  of  his  ships,  leaving  the  other  in  the  command 
of  Captain  Thomas  Hunt,  who  was  instructed  to  carry  his 
fish  to  Spain  for  a  market.  The  choice  of  this  man  was 
unfortunate.  Taking  advantage  of  the  absence  of  Smith, 
and  governed  by  considerations  of  the  most  base  and  mer 
cenary  character,  he  decoyed  twenty-four  of  the  savages 
on  board  his  vessel,  and,  in  cruel  return  for  the  kindness 
with  which  the  English  had  been  treated  by  their  people, 
he  sold  them  into  slavery  at  Malaga.  The  proceeds  were 
a  little  private  perquisite  for  himself.  Smith  ascribes  to 
him  a  more  subtle  policy — namely,  to  discourage  any  set 
tlement  of  the  country  by  making  the  English  name  odious 
to  the  natives,  "  thereby  to  keepe  this  abounding  country 
still  in  obscuritie,  that  onely  he  and  some  few  merchants 
more  might  enjoy  wholly  the  benefit  of  the  trade."  This 
object  is  not  so  apparent.  The  sufficient  motive  for  the 
inhuman  proceeding  of  such  a  wretch  is  to  be  found  in  the 
petty  profits  of  a  trade  upon  which  no  return  need  be  made 
to  the  owners.  It  was  no  atonement  to  the  people  he  had 
wronged  that  he  was  dismissed  with  indignation  from  em 
ployment. 

Smith  presented  his  map  and  the  record  of  his  proceed 
ings  to  Prince  Charles,  afterwards  the  unfortunate  Charles 
the  First,  whose  sanction  he  entreated  for  the  adoption  of 
the  new  nomenclature  which  he  proposed  to  employ  for 


340  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

his  discoveries.  But,  though  Charles  graciously  com 
plied  with  this  request,  he  has  not  been  successful  always 
in  the  rejection  of  the  former  names.  Cape  Cod  still  stub 
bornly  keeps  its  sturdy  epithet,  and  will  not  be  persuaded 
into  the  adoption  of  the  more  gentle  title  of  Cape  "  James. " 
Cape  Ann  is  too  easy  of  utterance  to  be  surrendered  for 
Tragabigzanda,  even  though  in  tribute  to  the  Turkish  dam 
sel  \vho  \vould  have  bestowed  her  charms  on  our  hero. 
Even  the  name  of  Smith  himself,  conferred  modestly  on  a 
Httle  group  of  isles,  it  better  pleased  the  English  lip  to 
convert  into  the  insignificant  title  of  the  Isles  of  8-hoals. 
Surely,  wre  might  yield  this  little  verbal  tribute  to  him  who 
was  the  first  Admiral  of  New  England.  Numerous  other 
names  of  places  were  changed  by  our  explorer,  who  seems 
not  to  have  affected  the  euphony  of  the  Indian  syllables. 
These,  with  very  questionable  taste,  he  repudiates  for 
well-known  English  words.  We  cannot  regret  that  the 
aboriginal  words  have  been  found  of  too  sturdy  a  growth 
to  be  eradicated  by  the  will  of  our  adventurer. 

Smith,  on  his  return  to  England,  put  into  Plymouth.  He 
esteems  it  his  ill  luck  to  have  done  so ;  for,  "  imparting 
his  purpose  to  divers  whom  he  thought  his  friends," 
they  engaged  his  services  for  the  Plymouth  Company 
under  a  patent  which  had  long  lain  dormant.  They 
encouraged  him  with  large  promises,  and  thus  secured  his 
services  which  his  late  associates  were  quite  unwilling  to 
lose.  His  more  recent  engagement  seems  to  have  gives 
offence  to  those,  whose  favoring  and  friendly  opinion  he 
was  anxious  to  retain.  But  his  faith  was  given,  and  he 
was  not  the  man  to  seek  escape,  whatever  might  be  hi* 
loss,  from  his  engagement. 

The  effect  of  this  difficulty  was  to  lead  to  the  employ 
ment  of  a  master,  named  Michael  Cooper,  on  the  part  of 
the  South  Virginia  Company ;  and  Smith's  own  facts  and 


LIFE      OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH  34J 

suggestions  being  seized  upon,  Cooper  put  to  sea  with 
four  vessels,  long  before  the  Plymouth  Company  had 
made  any  provision  for  him.  The  success  of  iiis  cod- 
fishery,  under  all  its  disadvantages,  and  the  copious  par 
ticulars  which  the  frank  nature  of  our  Captain  prompted 
him  but  too  freely  to  make  public,  thus  led  to  the  antici 
pation  of  his  own  plans  by  others,  who  never  would  havi 
conceived  them.  Fifteen  hundred  pounds  had  been  real 
ized  by  his  first  voyage  of  six  months.  By  knowing  the 
season  for  furs  better  than  the  English,  the  French,  dur 
ing  the  same  period,  had  obtained  twenty-five  thousand 
beaver  skins.  These,  with  other  facts,  gathered  from 
Smith's  relation,  together  with  his  unwitting  engagement 
with  the  Plymouth  Company,  had  given  unwonted  provo 
cation  to  their  rivals,  who  had  thus  taken  the  start  of 
them  in  the  adventure,  to  the  great  detriment  of  the 
former.  Yet  all  the  advantages,  except  that  of  capital, 
were  with  the  latter.  Could  the  two  companies  have 
united,  and  sent  forth  a  single  expedition  from  Plymouth 
under  our  Captain,  the  results  would  have  amply  rewarded 
all  parties.  But  commercial  rivalry  forbade  the  proper 
wisdom.  "  Much  labor  I  had  taken  to  bring  the  Lon 
doners  and  them  to  joyne  together,  because  the  Londoners 
have  most  money  and  the  western  men  are  most  proper 
for  fishing  ;  and  it  is  neere  as  much  trouble,  but  much 
more  danger,  to  saile  from  London  to  Plimouth,  than  from 
Plimouth  to  New  England,  so  that  halfe  the  voyage 
would  thus  be  saved  ;  yet  by  no  meanes  could  I  prevails, 
so  desirous  were  they  both  to  be  lords  of  this  fishing." 

Smith,  on  engaging  with  the  Plymouth  Company,  had 
been  promised  four  good  ships,  which  wore  to  be  ready 
by  Christmas.  In  January,  with  two  hundred  pounds 
cash,  fjr  private  adventure,  he  left  London,  accompanied 
by  six  of  his  friends,  and  went  to  Plymouth.  His  sail- 


34'J  L  IKK      OF      (A  I-  TAIN      SMITH. 

guine  expectations  were  doomed  to  disappointment.  The 
ships  were  not  ready ;  and  the  Company,  owing  to  dis 
couraging  reports  of  disaster  to  other  voyagers,  had  cooled 
in  their  desire  for  the  enterprise.  Yet,  in  behalf  of  this 
Company,  Smith  had  declined  the  command  of  the  London 
expedition — the  four  ships  sent  out  under  Cooper — which 
had  been  first  tendered  to  him.  Ordinary  men  would 
have  desponded  under  these  circumstances.  Certainly, 
fortune  warred  spitefully  against  our  hero.  But  he  was 
not  discouraged.  His  soul  was  always  too  much  in  his 
scheme  to  yield  readily  to  denials  or  reverses.  He  went 
to  work  with  his  wonted  energy  in  beating  up  supplies 
and  recruits.  His  friends  came  forward,  he  invested  all 
that  he  himself  had,  and  succeeded  in  getting  furnished 
one  vessel  of  two  hundred  and  another  of  fifty  tons.  Six 
teen  persons  were  engaged  to  go  in  this  expedition,  with 
the  view  to  a  permanent  settlement  of  the  country.  This 
was  a  favorite  scheme  with  our  adventurer.  He  says  in 
one  of  his  narratives — "  Nor  will  I  spend  more  time  in 
discovery  or  fishing  till  I  may  goe  with  a  company  for  a 
plantation."  He  had  the  just  notion  of  what  was  essential 
to  the  permanence  of  conquest. 

The  two  vessels  were  soon  made  ready  for  the  sea,  and 
left  Plymouth  in  March.  But  the  ill  luck  which  had  thus 
far  baffled  him,  was  not  disposed  to  forego  its  hostility. 
He  had  sailed  little  more  than  a  hundred  leagues,  when  the 
two  vessels  were  separated  by  a  tempest — the  ship  of  Smith 
was  dismasted,  and  he  was  compelled  to  return  to  Plymouth 
under  jurymast,  the  crew  being  kept  at  the  pumps  with 
every  watch,  with  the  dread  of  foundering  momently  be 
fore  their  eyes.  The  vessel,  probably  old  and  worthless 
at  the  outset,  and  only  patched  up  for  the  exigency,  was 
not  worthy  of  repairs,  and  we  find  our  voyager  resuming 
his  adventure  in  a  small  bark  of  sixty  tons,  with  but  thirty 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  343 

men,  instead  of  the  seventy  which  he  had  in  the  former 
snip.  He  left  Plymouth  on  the  24th  of  June.  His  con 
sort,  from  whom  he  had  separated,  weathered  the  gale  in 
safety,  and,  ignorant  of  the  fate  of  the  larger  ship,  pro 
ceeded  on  her  voyage,  which  was  profitable  in  its  results. 
But  the  evil  eye  was  still  upon  our  captain,  and  the  adven 
ture,  so  far  as  his  progress  was  concerned,  was  one  of  mis 
haps  and  disappointments.  His  first  danger  wras  from  an 
English  pirate,  a  bark  of  one  hundred  and  forty  tons, 
manned  by  eighty  men,  and  armed  with  thirty-six  cannon. 
The  little  vessel  of  Smith  was  of  three  scoi-e  tons  only,  with 
thirty  seamen  and  four  guns.  His  master,  mate,  pilot  and 
others  were  very  importunate  with  him  to  yield,  and  he  had 
more  trouble  in  the  contest  with  their  fears  than  he  expect 
ed  to  have  with  the  foe.  He  was  stubborn  in  his  resolution 
to  fight  it  out  with  the  pirates,  and  made  his  preparations 
accordingly.  But,  when  the  enemy  drew  nigh,  and  recog 
nized  our  adventurer,  they  became  pacific.  Their  leaders 
recognized  him  as  their  former  captain.  They  proffered 
him  the  command  of  their  vessel.  They  were  willing  that 
he  should  lead  them  at  his  pleasure.  They  were  prepared 
to  confide  in  him  rather  than  in  themselves.  In  fact,  there 
was  a  mutiny  among  them.  They  had  lately  rua  from 
Tunis,  lacked  provisions,  and  were  divided  into  contending 
factions 

It  was  unfortunate  that  Smith  refused  their  aLiance. 
He  afterwards  repented  that  he  had  not  accepted  the  com 
mand  which  they  proffered  him.  But  he  was  discouraged 
by  their  mutinous  condition,  and  had  his  heart  too  -deeply 
set  upon  the  leading  object  of  his  adventure,  to  /rouble 
himself  with  the  unnecessary  task  of  reforming  these  pro 
fligates.  But  his  own  crew  proved  even  le^s  tract 
able.  Near  Fayal  he  was  encountered  by  two  other 
pirates.  But  these  were  Frenchmen.  One  of  them  was 


344  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

of  two  hundred  and  the  other  of  thirty  tons.  Here  again; 
his  crew  were  terrified  at  the  disparity  of  force,  and  posi 
tively  refused  to  go  to  the  guns.  But  our  captain  was  no* 
to  be  disgraced  in  this  manner.  He  had  a  process  of  coer 
cion  which  they  learned  to  fear  more  than  the  enemy,  and 
he  prepared  to  fire  his  magazine,  and  blow  his  bark  in  air, 
rather  than  yield  while  he  had  any  powder  left.  This 
brought  his  mutineers  back  to  their  duty.  They  saw  de 
termination  in  his  eye,  and  the  approach  of  the  pirate  was 
welcomed  with  a  cannonade.  A  running  fight  followed, 
in  which  the  English  succeeded  in  making  their  escape. 

But  their  temporary  good  fortune  was  about  to  leave 
them,  Near  Flores  they  were  chased  and  overtaken  by 
four  French  men-of-war,  all  well  armed,  and  each  of 
them  superior  to  the  little  craft  of  our  Captain.  He  was 
made  to  go  aboard  of  the  French  admiral  and  show  his 
papers.  These  proved  him  to  be  neither  Spaniard  nor 
pirate,  against  whom  the  French  vessels  were  then  cruis 
ing.  But  the  laws  of  nations  were  but  little  insisted  on  in 
those  days,  where  there  was  no  adequate  power  to  enforce 
them.  Though  Smith  showed  the  broad  seal  of  England 
to  his  commission,  it  was  the  policy  of  the  Frenchman  to 
believe  him  pirate,  Spaniard,  or  what  he  pleased.  They 
respected  neither  him  nor  his  papers;  detained  him  a 
prisoner  ;  rifled  his  vessel  ;  manned  her  with  Frenchmen; 
and  distributed  the  English  as  prisoners  among  their  own 
ships.  After  several  days'  detention  they  capriciously 
restored  his  vessel  to  our  adventurer,  restored  his  men 
and  provisions,  and  left  him  to  pursue  his  voyage.  This 
he  resolved  to  do,  much  against  the  wishes  of  his  crew  ; 
but  before  he  could  separate  from  the  French  admiral,  the 
latter  sent  his  boat  for  him,  requesting  once  more  to  see 
him.  He  obeyed  the  invitation,  which  was,  in  other 
words,  a  command  ;  and,  while  on  board  the  admiral,  a 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  345 

sail  was  espied,  which  sent  all  the  ships  forward  in  pur- 
6Uit — all  but  the  English  vessel.  Here,  his  discontents 
availing  themselves  of  Smith's  absence,  the  confusion  of 
the  chase,  and  the  approach  of  night,  turned  their  prow 
for  England  ;  leaving  "  our  Captaine  in  his  cap,  bretches, 
aud  waistcoat,  alone  among  the  Frenchmen."  Smith 
asserts  that  his  detention  among  the  French  was  inten 
tional,  and  induced  in  some  degree  by  the  machinations 
of  two  of  his  own  seamen,  Edward  Chambers,  the  master, 
and  John  Miller,  the  mate,  who  had  been  discontents 
from  the  beginning  of  the  voyage.  They  represented 
that  he  would  "  revenge  himself  upon  the  Banke,  or  in 
Newfoundland,  upon  all  the  French  he  should  there  en 
counter."  The  mutineers  reached  Plymouth  in  safety, 
having  divided  Smith's  personal  property  among  them. 
A  commission  was  instituted  before  the  vice-admiral  of 
England  to  investigate  the  proceedings,  and  the  particulars 
thus  given  were  derived  from  the  statements,  on  oath,  of 
six  of  the  crew.  Whether  the  mutineers  were  ever  pun 
ished  for  this  proceeding  does  not  appear.  The  proba 
bilities  are  against  it.  "  The  greatest  losse,"  says  Smith, 
u  being  mine,"  u  the  sailers  did  easily  excuse  themselves 
to  the  merchants  in  England  that  still  provided  to  follow 
the  fishing  :  much  difference  there  was  betwixt  the  Lon 
doners  and  Westerlings  to  ingrosse  it,  who  now  would 
adventure  thousands,  that  when  I  first  went  would  not 
adventure  a  groat."  Indeed,  so  completely  had  our  Cap 
tain  shown  the  way,  that  he  might  almost  as  justly  claim 
to  have  founded  New  England  as  Virginia. 

Smith  remained  during  the  whole  summer  a  prisoner  on 
board  the  Frenchman.  He  soon  discovered  that  his  cap 
tors  were  little  better  than  pirates.  They  certainly  sailed 
under  a  commission  which  conferred  great  privileges. 
They  scrupled  at  no  sort  of  game.  Nothing  came  amiss 


346  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

that  promised  to  compensate  the  trouble  and  the  cost  OJ 
capture  ;  and  the  cruise  was  one  which  promised  to  be 
profitable  in  a  high  degree.  English  ships  were  as  fre 
quently  plundered  as  any  other;  and  our  Captain  was 
frequently  pained  to  see  wrongs  done  to  his  countrymen, 
such  as  he  himself  had  suffered,  which  he  had  not  the 
power  to  prevent.  But  the  English  ships  were  sometimes 
hard  customers  for  our  French  admiral ;  and  Smith  indulges 
in  a  tone  of  laudable  exultation  when  he  finds  the  courage  of 
his  tribe  asserting  itself,  now  and  then,  triumphant  over  the 
cunning  and  treachery  of  their  enemies.  The  details  of 
what  he  witnessed  during  his  captivity  will  scarce  con 
cern  us  here.  Our  business  is  rather  with  himself.  He 
was  not  idle  during  his  captivity.  Some  time  was  spent 
oy  the  French  admiral  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Azores. 
Here,  "  to  keepe  his  perplexed  thoughts  from  too  much 
meditation  of  his  miserable  estate,"  he  employed  himself  in 
writing  a  narrative  of  his  voyages  to  New  England,  with  an 
account  of  that  country.  His  mind  was  never  idle.  His 
eye  took  in  the  details  of  a  subject  at  a  glance,  and  his 
thoughts  compassed  all  its  demands  and  necessities  the 
moment  after.  Nor  did  our  Frenchmen  leave  him  unem 
ployed.  They  were  glad  to  use  him  whenever  they  fought 
with  the  Spaniards,  and  he  seems  to  have  been  no  ways 
unwilling  to  encounter  the  national  enemy.  But  when 
the  foe  was  English,  then  he  was  again  made  a  prisoner. 
His  readiness  in  these  cases  secured  the  favor  of  his  cap 
tors.  The  French  captain  promised  to  put  him  ashore  at 
the  Azores,  but  broke  his  promise,  and  it  was  not  till  the 
summer  was  over  that  he  was  permitted  to  approach  the 
land.  Reaching  Rochelle,  the  fair  promises  of  the  cap 
tain  were  forgotten,  and  Smith,  instead  of  freedom  and 
reward,  was  made  a  close  prisoner,  and  charged  with  hav 
ing  burnt  Port  Royal  in  New  France,  in  1613  a  deed  that 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  347 

was  done  by  Capt.  Argall.  The  object  of  this  accusation 
was  to  .scare  him  into  giving  them  a  discharge  before  the 
Judge  of  Admiralty. 

Our  hero  was  very  much  in  their  power.  It  was  not 
easy  to  find  justice  for  an  Englishman  in  France,  during 
the  feeble  foreign  administration  of  any  of  the  Stuart  family. 
Besides,  it  was  a  time  of  great  civil  commotion  among  the 
French — "  a  time  of  combustion,  the  Prince  of  Condy  with 
his  army  in  the  field,  and  every  poor  lord  or  man  in 
authority,  as  little  kings  of  themselves." 

Smith  reasoned  justly  when  he  concluded  that  his 
chief  hope  must  rest  upon  himself.  He  determined  to 
escape,  if  possible.  He  watched  his  opportunities  ac 
cordingly,  and,  one  dark  night,  at  the  close  of  a  storm, 
which  had  driven  the  Frenchmen  into  close  cover  be 
low,  he  let  himself  down  into  their  boat,  and  with  a  half 
pike  instead  of  an  oar,  he  set  himself  adrift  in  the  hope  to 
reach  a  contiguous  islet.  But  the  current  was  against 
nim,  and  carried  him  out  to  sea.  Here,  in  a  small  boat, 
without  even  the  proper  implement  by  which  to  work  his 
way,  amidst  gust,  and  rain,  and  darkness,  for  the  space  of 
twelve  hours  our  fearless  adventurer,  struggling  manfully 
all  the  while  against  his  fate,  looked  momentarily  to  be 
hurried  to  the  bottom.  "  But  it  pleased  God  that  the  wind 
should  turn  with  the  tide,"  and  while  "  many  ships  were 
driven  ashore  and  divers  split,"  his  boat  was  drifted  upon 
a  marshy  islet,  where  he  was  picked  up  the  next  day  by 
"  certaine  fowlers,  neere  drowned  and  halfe  dead  with 
water,  cold  and  hunger."  His  escape  had  been  a  narrow 
one.  In  flying  from  captivity  he  had  also  flown  from 
death.  The  ship  of  his  captors  had  been  driven  ashore 
and  her  captain  drowned  with  half  of  his  crew. 


CHAPTER    III. 

THUS  preserved  by  the  special  mercies  of  Providence, 
amidst  so  many  disasters,  and  even  against  his  own  expec 
tations,  Smith  found  the  means  for  getting  to  Rochelle  by 
pawning  the  boat  which  had  borne  him  through  his  dan 
gers.  At  this  place  he  preferred  his  complaint  to  the 
Judge  of  Admiralty,  against  the  Frenchman  who  had  cap 
tured  him,  and  was  listened  to  with  patience  and  many 
promises.  Here  he  first  received  tidings  of  the  wreck  of 
the  vessel  in  which  he  had  been  detained,  and  the  drown 
ing  of  her  commander.  Some  of  the  survivors  whom  he 
encountered  he  caused  to  be  arrested,  and  their  story,  on 
examination,  confirmed  his  own.  These  particulars,  pro 
perly  put  on  record,  he  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  English 
ambassador,  then  at  Bordeaux.  But  nothing  seems  to 
have  come  of  his  complaint.  The  foreign  relations  of  the 
Government  of  Great  Britain,  under  the  feeble  administra 
tion  of  James,  were  not  of  a  sort  to  command  much  res 
pect  among  the  natives  of  the  continent.  Smith  says — 
"  of  the  wracke  of  the  rich  prize,  some  three  thousand  six 
hundred  crownes  worth  of  goods  came  ashore  and  were 
saved,  with  the  caraval,  which  I  did  my  best  to  arrest ; 
the  Judge  promised  I  should  have  justice  ;  what  will  be 
the  conclusion  as  yet  I  know  not.  But,  under  the  colour 
to  take  Pirats  and  the  West  Indie  men  (because  the  Spa 
niards  will  not  suffer  the  French  to  trade  in  the  West 
Indies),  any  goods  from  thence,  though  they  take  them 
upon  the  coast  of  Spaine,  are  lawful  1  prize,  or  from  any 
of  his  territories  o\it  of  the  limits  of  Europe  : — and  as  they 


LIKE    OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  349 

betraied  me,  tnough  I  had  the  broad  seale,  so  did  they  rob 
and  pillage  twentie  saile  of  English  men  more,  besides 
them  I  knew  not,  of  the  same  yeere." 

And  there  was  no  redress  for  the  subject,  whether  from 
France  or  England.  The  feebleness  of  the  latter  invited 
the  aggressions  of  the  former.  A  Cromwell  was  the  only 
necessary  cure  for  these  foreign  evils,  and  his  day  was 
approaching.  But  he  came  too  slowly  for  the  help  of 
Smith.  Our  adventurer  would  have  been  reduced  to  sad 
straits  in  France,  wanting  means,  but  that  he  met  good 
friends.  It  was  his  good  fortune  to  meet  his  "  old  friend, 
Master  Crampton,  that  no  less  grieved  at  his  losse,"  than 
willingly,  to  the  extent  of  his  resources,  supplied  his 
wants  ;  and  "  I  must  conlesse,"  he  adds,  "  I  was  more 
beholden  to  the  Frenchmen  that  escaped  drowning,  to  the 
lawyers  of  Bourdeaux,"  and  to  another  whom  we  shall 
name  hereafter,  than  to  "  all  the  rest  of  my  countrymen  I 
met  in  France."  This  other  was  of  the  gentler  sex — a 
Madame  Chanoyes,  of  Rochelle — who,  he  tells  us,"  boun 
tifully  assisted"  him.  Smith  was  always  fortunate  in  find 
ing  favor  with  the  ladies.  His  person  was  good,  his  man 
ners  easy  and  dignified.  His  mind  was  essentially  pure 
and  elevated.  His  delicacy  was  distinguished.  He  had 
few  or  no  vices  ^  and,  stern  in  battle,  rigid  in  rule,  and 
uncompromising  with  his  foes,  he  was  yet  in  every  sense 
of  the  word  a  gentleman.  One  of  his  eulogists,  who  signs 
himself  "  Your  true  friend,  sometimes  your  souldier,  Tho. 
Carlton,  writes : 

"  I  never  knew  a  warrior  yet,  but  thee, 
From  vrine,  tobacco,  debts,  dice,  oaths,  so  free." 

The  line  sums  up  a  great  many  of  those  vices,  from  one 
or  other  of  which,  soldiers  of  fortune  are  seldom  free ;  and 

when  we  regard  the  trials  and  vicissitudes,  the  necessities 
23 


350  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

and  the  frequent  irresponsibility  of  his  career,  we  mnst 
allow  that,  but  for  a  native  delicacy  of  character,  Smith 
could  scarcely  have  escaped  contamination  from  one  or 
other  of  the  practices  here  enumerated,  and  which,  vicious 
mostly  in  themselves,  are  but  too  much  regarded  as  venial 
because  of  their  common  use.  One  of  his  poet-eulogists 
ascribes  the  favor  of  Madame  Chanoyes  to  a  far  tenderer 
feeling  than  that  of  simple  humanity  : 

"  Tragabigzanda,  Callamata's  love, 
Deare  Pocahontas,  Madame  Shanois  too, 
Who  did  what  love  with  modesty  could  doe." 

But  this  is  probably  an  exaggeration  of  the  versemonger. 
We  have  nothing  in  proof  of  the  insinuation.  Smith  him 
self  affords  no  countenance  to  the  suggestion,  and  in  no 
instance  suffers  himself  to  speak  of  either  of  these  ladies, 
but  in  terms  of  proper  and  respectful  gratitude. 

"  Leaving  thus  my  businesse  in  France,  I  returned  to 
Plimoth,  to  finde  them  that  had  thus  buried  me  amongst 
the  French,  and  not  only  buried  me,  but  with  so  much 
infamy  as  such  treacherous  cowards  could  suggest  to 
excuse  their  villanies."  They  pretended,  in  short,  that 
he  was  about  to  convert  his  vessel  into  a  man-of-war — in 
other  words  to  become  a  pirate.  "  The  chieftaines  of  this 
mutiny  that  I  could  finde,  I  laid  by  the  heeles ;  the  rest, 
like  themselves,  confessed  the  truth."  Our  narrative  of  the 
second  voyage  to  New  England,  as  far  as  they  were  con 
cerned  in  the  events,  has  been  drawn  from  this  confession. 
But  Smith  gained  nothing  for  his  own,  in  bringing  the  mu 
tineers  to  their  deserts.  The  fisheries,  to  which  he  had 
opened  the  way,  yielded  vast  profits  to  the  adventurers. 
The  fishers  of  Iceland  and  Newfoundland  abandoned  these 
places  for  those  of  the  waters  of  New  England.  New 
England  herself  was  laid  open  as  a  rich  prize  to  other  co 
lonists,  in  consequence  of  Smith's  discoveries  and  repre 


LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  351 

sentations.  He  alone  pined  with  denial,  while  he  beheld 
others  grow  prosperous  and  insolent  in  the  wages  of  his 
adventure,  and  the  spoils  that  should  have  rewarded  his 
genius  only.  "  Now,  how  I  have,  or  could  prevent  these 
accidents,  having  no  more  meanes,  I  rest  at  your  censures; 
but  to  proceed  to  the  matter,  yet  must  I  sigh  and  say, 
;  How  oft  hath  fortune  in  the  world  brought  slavery  free- 
dome,  and  turned  all  diversely.'  '  The  disasters  all  hap 
pened  to  him  and  not  to  the  enterprises  which  he  set  on 
foot.  Two  lines,  seemingly  his  own,  are  made  to  finish 
his  desponding  fancies  with  a  well-known  sarcasm  : 

"  Fortune  makes  provision 
For  knaves,  and  fools,  and  men  of  base  condition." 

Denied  to  seek  adventures  because  of  the  sad  and  prolonged 
hostility  of  fortune,  the  indefatigable  nature  of  Smith  coun 
selled  him  to  put  on  record,  and  in  proper  circulation,  his 
discoveries.  He  wrote  a  book  called  u  New  F.  Aland's 
Trial."  The  trial  was  in  fact  his  own.  It  embodied  all 
that  he  had  endured  in  his  two  voyages,  all  that  he  had 
seen  and  heard,  his  comments  upon  his  facts,  and  a  sprink 
ling  of  his  moral  philosophies,  drawn  from  his  reading  and 
his  experience.  Much  of  the  matter  of  this  volume  was 
written  while  he  was  a  captive  with  the  Frenchman. 
Much  of  it  appears  scattered  over  his  other  writings.  In 
the  preparation  of  his  pamphlets  he  was  quite  desultory, 
and  frequently  refers  to,  and  sometimes  repeats,  the  matter 
which  we  find  in  other  places.  The  present  work, 
which  was  published  in  1616,  was  put  forth  in  quarto  form. 
It  gives  such  sketches  of  New  England  as  he  formerly  gave 
us  of  Virginia.  It  describes  the  shores,  and  seas,  and 
islands,  along  the  coast,  the  people  of  the  country,  their 
manners,  customs  and  superstitions.  It  has  its  value  to 
this  day,  and  is  the  source  of  much  of  the  information  of 
succeeding  historians.  It  was  accompanied  by  a  map  of 


352  LIFE    OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

New  England,  and  one  edition  of  the  work  contained 
several  maps,  as  well  of  that  region  as  of  Virginia.  Colo 
nization  in  New  England  was  still  the  object  upon  which 
his  desires  were  set.  To  effect  this  object  he  traversed 
England,  distributing  his  book.  Thousands  of  copies  were 
given  to  chartered  companies  of  London,  in  the  hope  that 
they  might  be  persuaded  to  embrace  his  suggestions.  But 
his  time  seems  to  have  been  thrown  away,  if  not  his  know 
ledge.  Non-e  of  it  enured  to  his  benefit.  The  opinion 
began  to  spread  about  that  he  was  unlucky,  and  to  be  un 
lucky  is,  unhappily,  in  the  vulgar  estimate,  to  be  some 
thing  worse  than  vicious  and  unwise.  No  imputation, 
indeed,  so  certainly  forfeits  for  its  subject  the  sympathies 
of  the  selfish  multitude.  Smith  answers  this  imputation 
of  ill  luck  with  a  cheerful  defiance.  "  Some  fortune-tel 
lers  say  I  am  unfortunate.  Had  they  spent  their  time  as 
I  have  dou. -,  they  1would  rather  believe  in  God  than  in 
their  calculations."  This  is  very  nobly  said.  His  own 
want  of  means — his  poverty — was  urged  against  him  as  the 
only  fruit  of  all  his  adventures.  But  this  he  answers,  still 
as  nobly.  These  profitless  adventures  which  have  given 
him  empire  and  conquest,  and  which  have  left  him  unsel 
fish,  have  been  to  him  "  as  children — they  have  been  my 
wife,  my  hawks,  my  hounds,  my  cards,  my  dice,  and  in 
totall,  my  best  content."  He  has  exercised  his  own  na 
ture  in  his  adventures — he  has  brought  into  play  the  best 
affections  of  his  soul— his  troubles  have  taught  him  a 
knowledge  of  his  resources — his  privations  and  poverty 
have  not  brought  remorse,  regret  and  repentance  in  their 
train.  "  I  would  yet  begin  againe  with  as  small  means  as 
at  first,  not  that  1  have  any  encouragement  more  than 
lamentable  experience."  Of  the  discoveries  of  those  who 
have  followed  him,  he  says,  coarsely  but  with  natural  ener 
gy,  "  they  are  hut  pigs  of  my  own  sow"  "Had  mt:D 


LIFE      OP      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  353 

been  as  forward  to  adventure  their  purses,  and  perform  the 
conditions  they  promised  mee,  as  to  crop  the  fruits  of  my 
labours,  thousands  ere  this  had  been  bettered  by  tbese  de- 
signes."  "  They  dare  now  adventure  a  ship,  that,  when 
I  first  went,  would  not  adventure  a  groat." 

Still,  though  they  glean  from  his  suggestions,  they 
cannot  do  them  proper  justice.  He  has  learned  to  feel  a 
manly  confidence  in  his  own  genius,  if  not  in  his  fortune. 
It  is  Smith,  only,  that  can  properly  work  out  the  schemes 
of  Smith,  to  a  happy  consummation.  "  For  I  know  my 
grounds,  yet  every  one  to  whom  I  tell  them,  or  that  reads 
this  book,  cannot  put  them  in  practice."  He  is  not  illi 
beral  even  to  those  who  seek  to  pilfer  from  his  plans. 
"  Though  they  endeavor  to  worke  me  out  of  my  own 
designes,  I  will  not  much  envy  their  fortunes  ;  but  I 
would  be  sorry  their  intruding  ignorance  should  by  their 
defailments  bring  these  certainties  to  doubtfulnesse."  The 
eagerness  which  he  feels  to  continue  his  career  of  coloni 
zation  and  discovery,  qualified  by  the  mournful  results  of 
his  own  struggle,  hitherto,  to  impress  his  convictions 
upon  others,  declares  itself  in  a  highly  bold  and  spirited 
figure,  taken  from  the  manege  of  the  days  of  chivalry. 
u  Thus,  betwixt  the  spur  of  desire  and  the  bridle  of  rea 
son,  I  am  near  ridden  to  death  in  a  ring  of  despaire."  His 
own  demands,  in  the  event  of  success,  were  moderate 
enough.  He  asks  only  to  be  rewarded  out  of  the  results 
of  the  adventure,  according  to  his  pains,  quality,  and  con 
dition.  If  he  fails — "  If  I  abuse  you  with  my  tongue,  take 
my  head  for  satisfaction." 

But  he  had  survived  his  fortunes.  He  was  a  lingerer 
on  the  stage.  Who  keeps  the  guide  when  the  way  is 
once  made  clear  ?  Who  needs  a  Columbus  to  place  the 
egg  upright  when  he  has  flattened  the  point  already  to  their 
hands  ?  The  claims  of  justice  are  always  urged  imperti- 


354  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SM 

nently  when  it  is  in  the  power  of  men  to  thrust  them  from 
sight  with  impunity ;  and  great  men,  having  achieved  the 
leading  event  in  their  lives,  are  not  willingly  believed  in 
any  longer,  since  they  always  require  to  be  compensated 
for  future  services,  with  some  regard  to  the  value  of  the 
past.  Smith  urged  his  arguments  and  distributed  his 
books  in  vain.  His  mission  was  at  an  end  with  regard  to 
all  new  discovery.  But  he  could  still  be  of  service  ;  and 
we  find  him  called  upon  without  scruple  by  those  who 
never  knew  how  to  compensate  him,  when  his  experience 
and  opinions  might  be  esteemed  of  importance  to  the  inte 
rests  which  he  had  already  acquired  for  them.  We  must 
once  more  turn  our  eyes  upon  the  colony  in  Virginia. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

WHILE  Smith  was  struggling  with  misfortune  at  home,  the 
colony  which  he  had  founded  in  Virginia  was  rising  into 
greater  strength  and  consequence.  Its  military  charac 
teristics  were,  however,  much  more  conspicuous  than  its 
social.  It  warred  not  only  upon  the  Indians  but  upon  the 
French  and  Dutch.  Early  in  1614,  Sir  Thomas  Dale,  the 
governor  of  the  colony,  sent  Captain  Argall  with  a  force 
against  certain  settlements  which  the  French  had  made 
in  Acadia.  These  were  broken  up  and  the  colonists  dis 
persed.  They  subsequently  adapted  themselves  to  the 
habits  of  the  Indians,  and  were  incorporated  among  the 
tribes.  Hudson's  Dutch  settlement,  now  New  York,  was 
also  made  to  acknowledge  the  King  of  England,  and  to 
pay  a  tribute  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia  ;  and,  waxing  inso 
lent  with  success,  and  with  the  gradual  increase  of  power, 
another  demand  was  made  upon  Powhatan.  Sir  Thomas 
Dale  'thought  it  advisable  to  insist  upon  other  pledges 
besides  Pocahontas,  but  of  a  like  description.  Powhatan 
had  another  and  a  younger  daughter.  She  had  become 
her  father's  favorite,  who  now  yielded  her  that  place  in 
his  affections  which  had  formerly  been  solely  occupied  by 
the  former.  The  attachment  of  Pocahontas  for  the  Eng 
lish,  her  marriage  with  an  Englishman,  and  her  entire 
withdrawal  from  his  sight,  had  served,  in  a  great  degree,  tc 
wean  from  her  his  regards,  and,  accordingly,  to  lessen  that 
influence  upon  his  mind  which  she  had  formerly  possess 
ed,  and  which  was  of  so  much  importance  to  the  colonists. 
it  will  scarcely  be  believed,  that  the  selfishness  of  the 


356  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

colony  was  of  such  a  nature  as  to  make  its  government 
heedless  or  hlind  to  the  cruelty  of  the  requisition  which 
it  made  upon  the  aged  Emperor,  for  the  other  child  of 
his  affections.  Mr.  Ralph  Harner  was  sent  upon  this 
mission,  and  the  details  of  his  interview  with  Powhatan 
have  been  preserved  to  us.  Hamer  was  accompanied  by 
Thomas  Savage,  the  interpreter,  a  youth  who  had  bctu 
given  by  Newport  to  the  king.  Powhatan  recognized  the 
boy,  whom  he  had  restored  some  years  before  to  the  Eng 
lish.  "  You  were  my  boy,"  he  said,  "  and  I  gave  you 
leave,  four  years  ago,  to  visit  your  friends  ;  but  I  have 
never  seen  ror  heard  of  you,  nor  of  my  own  man,  Namon- 
tack,  since  ;  though  many  ships  have  gone  and  returned." 
Then,  turning  to  Hamer,  he  demanded  the  chain  of  pearl 
— the  string  of  wampum — which,  when  a  treaty  of  peace 
had  been  made  with  the  English,  at  the  time  of  his  daugh 
ter's  marriage,  ho  had  sent  to  Sir  Thomas  Dale.  That 
string  of  pearl  was  to  be  a  token  between  them  ;  and  in 
proof  that  the  messenger  came  from  the  English,  when 
ever  Dale  should  send  to  him  hereafter.  Failing  in  this, 
Powhatan  was  to  take  and  bind  the  alleged  messenger,  and 
send  him  back  to  Dale  as  a  deserter.  Hamer  had  not 
provided  himself  with  this  chain.  The  requisitions  of 
the  Indians  were  apt  to  be  treated  heedlessly.  Powhatan 
looked  doubtfully  upon  his  visitor,  but  Hamer  found  some 
ingenious  reason  for  showing  that  the  stipulation  could  not 
relate  to  him,  and  Powhatan  admitted  the  exception.  He 
inquired  after  Pocahontas,  and  his  unknown  son,  and  was 
pleased  to  hear  of  their  prosperity.  When  told  that  his 
daughter  was  so  well  satisfied  wTith  her  new  condition  that 
she  would  not,  upon  any  account,  return  to  live  with  him, 
he  laughed  heartily,  as  if  his  old  affections  were  rejoiced 
at  the  happiness  of  his  child. 

But  when  Hamer  came  to  declare  his  business — to  show 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  357 

the  cruel  purpose  upon  which  he  came — the  face  of  the 
old  chief  grew  troubled.  His  countenance  fell  and  darken 
ed.  Of  course,  the  application  was  made  in  a  form  of  as 
much  mildness  as  was  consistent  with  the  rapacious  harsh- 
ne-ss  of  the  demand.  "  His  brother,  Dale,  had  heard  of  the 
fame  of  his  youngest  daughter,,  intended  to  marry  her  to 
some  worthy  English  gentleman,  which  would  be  highly 
pleasing  and  agreeable  to  her  sister,  who  was  very  desir 
ous  to  see  and  have  her  near  her  ;  and,  as  a  testimony  of 
his  love,"  the  father  was  desired  to  send  her  also  t& 
the  English. 

Powhatan,  conscious  of  the  power  of  the  colonists,  and 
unwilling  to  offend  them,  endeavored  to  evade  the  demand. 
"  He  had  parted  with  his  daughter — he  had  already  given 
her  in  marriage  to  a  chief — had  sold  her  to  him,  and  re 
ceived  his  pay."  When  pressed  and  driven  from  these 
objections,  he  at  length  declared  himself  frankly  with  the 
feeling  of  a  father  and  the  dignity  of  a  prince.  He  desired 
Hamer  to  urge  him  no  more  upon  the  subject,  but  to 
return  to  his  brother  Dale  this  answer  : 

"  That  he  held  it  not  a  brotherly  part  to  endeavor  to 
bereave  him  of  his  two  darling  children  at  once  :  That, 
for  his  part,  he  desired  no  farther  assurance  of  Dale's 
friendship  than  his  promise  :  That,  of  his  own,  the  English 
had  a  sufficient  pledge  in  one  of  his  daughters  ;  which,  as 
long  as  she  lived,  would  be  sufficient ;  and  should  she  die, 
then  he  should  have  another.  Tell  him  further,"  said  he, 
"  that  even  were  there  no  pfedge,  there  need  be  no  dis 
trust  of  me  or  my  people.  We  have  had  enough  of  war. 
Too  many  already  have  been  slain  on  both  sides.  With 
my  will  there  shall  be  no  more.  I  have  the  power  here, 
and  I  have  given  the  law  to  my  people.  I  am  now  grown 
old.  I  would  end  my  days  in  peace  and  quietness.  My 
Country  is  large  enough  for  both,  and  even  though  you 


358  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

give  me  cause  of  quarrel,  I  will  rather  go  from  you  than 
fight  with  you.  Take  this  answer  to  my  brother." 

And  the  agent  in  this  unworthy  mission  received  no 
other.  He  returned  to  his  principal  as  he  went.  How 
far  Pocahontas  may  have  been  privy  to  the  application  is 
not  said.  Her  name  is  not  otherwise  mentioned  in  the 
transaction  than  as  it  appears  in  Hamer's  report  of  the 
message  which  Dale  had  sent  to  Powhatan.  It  is  scarcely 
possible  that  she  willingly  gave  her  consent  to  a  scheme 
for  depriving  her  aged  sire  of  the  only  thing  which  he  had 
chosen  to  comfort  him  after  her  desertion. 

Pocahontas  seems  really  to  have  been  fully  satisfied,  as 
Hamer  reported  to  her  father,  with  her  English  associations 
and  condition.  She  had  been  baptized,  and  had  received 
the  Christian  name  of  Rebecca.  It  was  only  after  this 
event  that  the  colonists  discovered  that  her  real  name  was 
Matoaka  or  Matoax,  and  that  the  name  of  Pocahontas  was 
one.  only  assumed  when  she  was  spoken  of  to  English  ears. 
A  superstition,  which  prevailed  among  the  Indians,  led 
them  to  fear  that,  with  a  knowledge  of  her  true  name,  it 
was  in  the  power  of  the  Christians  to  do  her  hurt.  The 
superstition  of  the  evil  mouth,  as  well  as  the  evil  eye,  was 
quite  as  common  among  our  aborigines  as  it  has  ever  been 
among  the  various  people  of  the  East.  Her  adoption  of 
Christianity  seems  to  have  been  fervent  and  sincere.  She 
is  described  as  of  quick  intelligence,  in  learning  equally 
the  faith  and  language  of  her  husband  ;  and  her  career  from 
childhood  amply  declares  the  aversion  which  she  felt  for 
the  wild  exercises  and  coarse  brutalities  of  her  own  people. 
She  was  with  them,  but  not  of  them — a  creatuie,  as 
foreign  to  the  sort  of  world  in  which  she  is  found,  as  was 
that  exquisite  creation  of  Goethe — the  Mignon  of  the  Wil- 
helm  Meister.  Her  whole  nature  was  gentleness — there 
was  in  her  a  spiritual  craving,  which  alone  seems  to  have 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  359 

indicated  the  necessity  for  the  advent,  amoug  her  tribes, 
of  a  superior  divinity.  The  heart  which  has  expelled  all 
other  idols,  will  never  be  left  unoccupied  by  the  true 
God. 

In  the  spring  of  1616,  Sir  Thomas  Dale  embarked  for 
England,  taking  with  him  Pocahontas  and  her  husband, 
and  several  young  Indians  of  both  sexes.  He  enjoyed  the 
triumph  which  should  have  belonged  to  Smith.  Pow- 
hatan  did  not  see  his  daughter  when  she  left  the  country. 
He  never  saw  her  again.  The  old  chief  was  at  this  time 
suffering,  not  only  from  the  pressure  of  years,  but  from 
the  dread  of  foes  at  home.  He  had  reason  to  dread  the 
machinations  of  Opechancanough — a  chief  every  way  to 
be-  feared  ;  a  favorite  with  the  people  ;  a  man  of  great 
courage  and  ability.  He  aimed  at  the  succession,  and 
finally  achieved  it.  Opitchapan  (who  is  sometimes  called 
Itopatin),  the  favorite  brother  of  Powhatan,  was  lame  and 
feeble ;  and,  the  latter  once  removed,  could  oppose  no 
serious  obstacle  to  the  bolder  and  abler  genius  of  Opechan 
canough.  We  shall  return  to  this  history  again.  It  IB 
enough  here  to  say,  that  the  reason  given  for  the  failure  of 
Powhatan  to  see  his  daughter  before  her  final  departure, 
was  the  necessity  which  he  felt  of  watching  or  avoiding 
the  machinations  of  the  former ;  who  was  suspected  of  a 
plan  to  deliver  him  hand  and  foot  into  the  hands  of  the 
English. 

Pocahontas  arrived  in  England  on  the  12th  of  June. 
Her  fame  had  long  since  preceded  her,  and  made  her  an 
object  of  consideration.  Respect  and  curiosity  equally 
brought  her  the  attentions  of  the  great  She  was  visited 
by  persons  of  rank  and  character,  whose  hospitality  spared 
no  pains  to  make  her  satisfied  with  the  strange  country  in 
which  she  found  herself. 

Smith  was  preparing  at  this  time  for  a  third  voyage 


360  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

to  New  England.  His  sanguine  temperament  seems  tr 
have  pers  jaded  him,  against  the  fact,  that  he  was  in  a  fair 
way  of  obtaining  the  command  of  a  new  expedition. 
With  his  heart  exulting  in  new  hopes  of  a  favorite  charac 
ter,  he  was  yet  not  unmindful  of  his  Virginia  nonpareil. 
As  soon  as  he  heard  of  her  arrival  in  England,  he  penned 
the  following  letter  "  To  the  most  high  and  virtuous 
Princess,  Queen  Anne  of  Great  Britain  : 

"  Most  admired  Queen, 

"  The  love  I  beare  my  God,  my  King  and  countrie,  hath 
so  oft  emboldened  mee  in  the  worst  of  extreme  dangers, 
that  now  honestie  doth  constraine  mee  presume  thus  farre 
beyond  myselfe  to  present  your  majestic  this  short  dis 
course  :  if  ingratitude  be  a  deadly  poyson  to  all  honest 
vertues,  I  must  bee  guiltie  of  that  crime  if  I  should  omit 
any  meanes  to  be  thankful. 

u  So  it  is,  that  some  ten  years  agoe,  being  in  Virginia 
and  taken  prisoner  by  the  power  ot  Powhatan,  their  chief 
king,  I  received  from  this  great  salvage  exceeding  great 
courtesies,  especially  from  his  son  Nantaquuas,  the  most 
manliest,  comeliest,  boldest  spirit  I  ever  saw  in  a  salvage, 
and  his  sister  Pocahontas,  the  king's  most  deare  and  well 
beloved  daughter,  being  but  a  childe  of  twelve  or  thirteen 
yeeres  of  age,*  whose  compassionate,  pitifull  heart,  of 
desperate  estate,  gave  me  much  cause  to  respect  her :  I 
being  the  first  Christian  this  proud  king  and  his  grim 


*  Wo  have  seen  in  the  "  True  Relation,"  written  at  the  time,  thai 
he  describes  her  as  a  child  often  years  old — a  statement  more  likely 
to  be  correct  than  the  present,  as  his  impressions  were  necessarily 
more  fiesh  and  vivid :  he  speaks  of  her  only  as  of  a  child,  sweet  and 
wonderful,  but  still  a  child.  Had  she  been  marriageable  then,  she 
would  have  found  an  English  husband — nay,  in  all  probability,  as 
soon  as  she  was  marriageable,  the  idea,  never  before  entertained,  was 
suggested  of  taking  her  prisone  . 


I  I  F  £     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  361 

attendants  ever  saw  :  and  thus  inthralled  in  their  barbarous 
power,  I  cannot  say  I  felt  the  least  occasion  of  want  that 
was  in  the  power  of  those,  my  mortal  foes,  iu  ^icvent, 
notwithstanding  all  their  threats.  After  some  six  weeks 
fatting  amongst  those  savage  courtiers,  at  the  minute  of 
my  execution,  she  hazarded  the  beating  out  of  her  own 
braines  to  save  mine  ;  and  not  onely  that,  but  so  prevailed 
with  her  father,  that  I  was  safely  conducted  to  James- 
towne,  where  I  found  about  eight  and  thirtie  miserable, 
poore  and  sicke  creatures,  to  keepe  possession  of  all  those 
large  territories  of  Virginia  :  such  was  the  weaknesse  of 
this  poor  commonwealth,  as,  had  the  savages  not  fed  us, 
we  directly  had  starved. 

"And  this  reliefe,  most  gracious  Queene,  was  commonly 
brought  us  by  this  Lady  Pocahontas;  notwithstanding  all 
these  passages  when  inconstant  fortune  turned  our  peace 
to  warre,  this  tender  virgin  would  still  not  spare  to  dare 
to  visit  us,  and  by  her  own  faires  have  been  oft  appeased, 
and  our  wants  still  supplyed  ;  were  it  the  policie  of  her 
father  thus  to  imploy  her,  or  the  ordinance  of  God  thus 
to  make  her  his  instrument,  or  her  extraordinarie  affection 
to  our  nation,  I  know  not :  but  of  this  I  am  sure, — when 
her  father,  with  the  utmost  of  his  policie  and  power, 
sought  to  surprise  me,  having  but  eighteen  with  me,  the 
dark  night  could  not  affright  her  from  comming  through 
the  irkesome  woods,  and  with  watered  eyes  gave  me 
ntelligence,  with  her  best  advice  to  escape  his  furie  : 
which,  had  he  knowne,  he  had  surely  slaine  her.  James- 
towne,  with  her  wilde  traine,  she  as  freely  frequented  as 
her  father's  habitation  ;  and  during  the  time  of  two  or 
three  year-'S,  slhe,  next  under  God.  was  still  the  instrument 
to  preserve  this  colonie  from  death,  famine  and  utter  con 
fusion  ;  which,  if  in  those  times  had  once  become  dissolv 
ed,  Virginia  might  have  line  (lain)  as  it  was  at  our  first 


362  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

arrivall  to  this  day.  Since  then,  this  business  having 
beene  turned  and  varied  by  many  accidents  from  that  1 
left  it  at :  it  is  most  certaine,  after  a  long  and  troublesome 
warre  after  my  departure,  betwixt  her  father  and  oui 
colonie,  all  which  time  she  was  not  heard  of,  about  two 
years  after  she  herselfe  was  taken  prisoner,  being  so  de 
tained  neere  two  years  longer,  the  colonie  by  that  meanes 
was  relieved,  peace  concluded,  and  at  last,  rejecting  her 
barbarous  condition,  was  married  to  an  English  gentleman, 
with  whom  at  this  present  she  is  in  England  ;  the  first 
Christian  ever  of  that  nation,  the  first  Virginian  ever 
spake  English,  or  had  a  childe  in  marriage  by  an  English 
man  ; — a  matter,  surely,  if  rny  meaning  bee  truly  consider 
ed  and  well  understood,  worthy  a  Prince's  understanding. 
"  Thus,  most  gracious  lady,  I  have  related  to  your  Ma- 
jestie,  what  at  your  best  leasure  our  approved  histories 
will  account  you  at  large,  and  done  in  the  time  of  youi 
Majestie's  life,  and  however  this  might  bee  presented  you 
from  a  more  worthy  pen,  it  cannot  from  a  more  honest 
heart.  As  y^t  I  never  begged  anything  of  the  state,  or  of 
any,  and  it  is  my  want  of  abilitie  and  her  exceeding  desert, 
your  birth,  meanes  and  authoritie,  her  birth,  virtue,  wam 
and  simplicitie,  doth  make  mee  thus  bold,  humbly  to  be- 
seeche  your  Majestic  to  take  this  knowledge  of  her,  though 
it  be  from  one  so  unworthy  to  be  the  reporter  as  myselfe, 
her  husband's  estate  not  being  able  to  make  her  fit  to 
attend  your  majestie  :  the  most  and  least  I  can  doe,  is  tc 
tell  you  this,  because  none  so  oft  has  tried  it  as  myselfe  ; 
and  the  rather,  being  of  so  great  a  spirit,  however  her  sta 
ture,  if  it  should  not  bee  well  received,  seeing  this  king- 
dome  may  rightly  have  a  kingdome  by  her  meanes — hei 
present  love  to  us  and  Christianitie  might  turn  to  such 
scorn  and  furie  as  to  direc*  all  this  good  to  the  worst  of  evil 
— where  finding  so  great  a  Queene  shmild  doe  her  some 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  363 

honour  more  than  she  can  imagine,  for  being  so  kind  to 
your  servants  and  subjects,  would  sc  ravish  her  with  con 
tent,  as  endeare  her  dearest  blood  to  effect  that  your  Ma 
jestic  and  all  the  king's  honest  subjects  most  earnestly  de 
sire.  And  so  I  humbly  kisse  your  gracious  hands." 

This  letter,  earnest  as  it  is,  is  not  written  with  the  usual 
eloquence  and  ease  of  our  adventurer.  Big  with  his  sub 
ject,  and  writing  to  a  Queen,  he  seems  to  have  been  strug 
gling  with  his  own  conceptions,  and  to  have  been  over 
come  by  them.  His  thoughts  are  clumsily  uttered,  and 
never  came  to  their  full  proportion  in  delivery.  But  he 
evidently  wrote  from  his  feelings,  and  may  be  believed 
when  he  asserts  that,  though  his  statement  might  be  pre 
sented  from  "  a  more  worthy  pen,"  it  could  not  come 
"  from  a  more  honest  heart."  We  are  not  told  whether 
it  was  to  this  address  that  Pocahontas  was  indebted  for 
those  attentions  which  the  Queen  of  England,  as  well  as 
her  consort,  bestowed  upon  her.  She  was  kindly  and 
honorably  entertained  at  court,  though  the  tradition  is 
that  her  husband  Rolfe  was  frowned  upon  for  his  pre 
sumption  in  intermarrying  with  royal  blood.  The  Scottish 
Solomon,  whose  tenacious  sense  of  legitimacy  was  prob 
ably  the  one  principle  to  which  he  more  religiously  adhered 
than  to  any  other,  is  said  to  have  held  the  proceeding  as 
little  less  than  treason  or  misdemeanor.  It  is  fortunate  that 
John  Rolfe's  ears  did  not  pay  the  penalty  of  his  ambition. 

Smith  did  not  content  himself  with  simply  writing  to 
the  queen  in  behalf  of  the  Lady  Rebecca,  for  such  was 
the  name  she  bore  in  England.  Though  earnestly  en 
gaged  in  his  preparations  for  the  voyage  to  New  England, 
he  hurried  with  several  of  his  friends  to  see  her  at  Brent 
ford,  whither  she  had  been  removed  from  London.  At 
this  time  Smith  was  probably  at  Plymouth.  We  have 
the  ace-mat  of  the  interview  from  himself  It  waa 


364  LIFE      OF      CAPTA.N     SMITH. 

highly  touching,  but  unsatisfactory.  His  salutation  was 
probably  reserved  and  cautious,  and  she  was  in  a  strange 
land.  She  expected  the  warmest  signs  of  attachment 
from  one  whom  she  had  regarded  with  the  devotion  of  a 
child  ;  and  he  was  governed  by  those  fears  of  offending  the 
suspicious  pedant  who  sat  upon  the  throne  of  England,  of 
whose  opinion,  in  this  very  instance,  our  captain  was 
probably  aware.  The  untutored  damsel  of  the  Virginian 
forests  could  not  understand  his  reserve,  though  the  real 
motive  of  his  caution  was  that  she  might  not  prejudice 
her  claims  to  the  patronage  of  the  crown.  She  felt  his 
coldness,  but  not  his  policy.  She  cared  nothing,  perhaps, 
for  any  countenance  but  his.  "  After  a  modest  salutation," 
such  is  Smith's  statement,  "  without  any  word  she  turned 
about,  obscured  her  face,  as  not  seeming  well  contented." 
How  much  spirit  was  in  that  silence  !  What  feelings 
were  stirring  in  that  untutored  but  noble  bosom,  which 
could  thus  move  her  to  shroud  and  turn  away  her  face  ! 
She  had  calculated  largely,  no  doubt,  upon  this  meeting 
with  the  great  warrior  of  the  pale-faces,  who  had  first  im 
pressed  her  with  the  greatness  of  his  people.  And  to  be 
encountered  thus,  as  if  he  had  never  been  plucked  from 
death  by  her  embrace — as  if  she  had  never  wandered 
through  the  midnight  woods  to  save  him — as  if  she  had 
not  brought  him  food  when  he  hungered,  and  taught  her 
maidens  to  dance  about  him  in  strange  forest  movements, 
the  better  to  beguile  his  weariness.  In  her  secret  heart 
she  reproached  him  with  want  of  gratitude — at  the  very 
moment  when  he  acknowledged  no  other  feeling. 

Smith  had  told  his  friends  that  she  spoke  the  English, 
and  now  regretted  having  done  so,  for  she  refused  to  speak. 
In  this  mood  they  left  her  for  some  hours  ;  when  they 
rejoined  her,  a  more  indulgent  spirit  informed  her  thoughts. 
She  now  spoke,  and  spoke  freely.  They  spoke  together 


LIFE    OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH.  365 

of  the  past,  and  she  thus  reminded  him  of  her  former  love 
to  the  English,  and  what  she  had  done  for  them. 

"You  did  promise  Powhatan,"  said  she,  "  that  what 
was  yours  should  be  his,  and  he  made  a  like  promise  unto 
you.  You,  being  in  his  land  a  stranger,  called  him  father, 
and  by  the  same  right  I  will  call  you  so." 

Smith  would  have  objected  to  this  "  because  she  was  a 
king's  daughter,"  and  having  a  fear  of  King  James  in 
his  eyes  ;  but,  "  with  a  well-set  countenance  she  said, 
'  Were  you  not  afraid  to  come  into  my  father's  country, 
and  cause  fear  in  him  and  all  his  people  but  myself,  and 
do  you  fear  that  I  should  call  you  father  here  ?  I  tell  you 
that  I  will  call  you  father,  and  you  shall  call  me  child, 
and  so  shall  it  be  for  ever.  They  did  always  tell  us  that 
you  were  dead,  and  I  knew  not  otherwise  until  I  came  to 
Plymouth.  Yet  Powhatan  believed  it  not,  because  your 
countrymen  will  lie  much,  and  he  commanded  Uttomato- 
makkin*  to  seek  you  out  and  know  the  truth.'  " 

*  "  This  salvage,  one  of  Powhatan's  counsell,  being  amongst  them 
held  an  understanding  fellow,  the  king  purposely  sent  him,  as  they 
say,  to  number  the  people  here,  and  informe  him  well  what  wee  were 
and  our  state.  Arriving  at  Plymouth,  according  to  his  directions  he 
got  a  long  sticke,  whereon  by  notches  hee  did  think  to  have  kept  the 
number  of  all  the  men  hee  could  see,  but  he  was  quickly  wearied  of 
this  task."(a) — SmitJi's  Narrative. 

This  cunning  savage  denied  to  Smith  that  he  had  seen  the  king 
(James),  though  it  was  known  that  he  had.  He  argued  that,  as  the 
king  had  given  him  nothing,  it  could  not  be  a  king  he  had  seen. 
«'  You  gave  a  white  dog  to  Powhatan,"  said  he  to  Smith,  "  yet  to  me, 
that  am  better  than  a  white  dog,  your  king  has  given  nothing." 

This  shrewd  sav.age  is  sometimes  called  Tomoccomo,  ana  some 
times  Uttomaccomach.  His  accounts  of  England  were  unfriendly, 
and  he  was  disgraced  on  his  return  to  Virginia. 

(a.)  When  he  returned  to  Virginia,  and  was  asked  the  number  of 
the  people,  he  answered,  "Count  the  stars  in  the  sky,  the  leaves  of  ihe 
forest,  and  ihe  sands  of  the  seashore — such  is  the  number  of  the  peo 
ple  of  England."— Stitk. 
24 


3f>6  LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

Smith  frequently  visited  her,  and  enjoyed,  with  a  no*, 
unbecoming  satisfaction,  the  astonishment  of  those  "  divers 
courtiers  and  others,  my  acquaintances,"  whom  she  de 
lighted  by  her  natural  gifts,  and  the  happy  manner  in 
which  she  received  them.  u  They  did  thinke  God  had  a 
great  hand  in  her  conversion,  and  they  have  seene  many 
English  ladies  worse  favored,  proportioned  and  beha- 
viored." 

But  the  career  of  the  Indian  princess  was  short  in  Eng 
land.  She  sickened  and  died  at  Gravesend,  early  in  1617, 
as  she  was  preparing  to  return  to  Virginia.  The  event 
was  unexpected,  but  it  did  not  find  her  unprepared.  She 
presented  to  the  sorrowing  spectators  the  sweetest  exam 
ple  of  Christian  resignation  and  fortitude.  She  left  one 
son,  Thomas  Rolfe,  who  was  educated  by  his  uncle,  Henry 
Rolfe,  in  England,  and  who  afterwards  became  a  person 
of  distinction  and  fortune  in  Virginia.  From  an  only 
daughter,  whom  he  left,*  some  of  the  first  families  of  Vir 
ginia  trace  their  descent,  with  a  just  and  honorable  pride. 
Among  these  we  may  mention  a  recent  and  distinguished 
instance,  in  the  person  of  John  Randolph  of  Roanoke. 

*  He  left,  behind  him  an  only  daughter,  who  was  married  to  Col. 
Robert  Boiling,  by  whom  she  left  an  only  son,  the  late  Major  Jolin 
Boiling,  who  was  father  to  the  present  Col.  John  Boiling  and  several 
daughters,  married  to  Col.  Richard  Randolph,  Col.  John  Fleming, 
Dr.  William  Guy,  Mr.  Thomas  Eldridge  and  Mr.  James  Murray. 
So  that  the  remnant  of  the  imperial  family  of  Virginia,  which  long 
ran  in  a  single  person,  is  now  increased,  and  branched  out  into  a  very 
numerous  progeny. — SttiJt,  146. 


CHAPTER    V. 

To  attempt  any  analysis  of  the  character  of  Pocahontas— - 
to  offer  any  eulogy  upon  her  virtues,  so  equally  delicate 
and  decided  as  they  were,  would  only  result  in  unneces 
sary  declamation.  As  there  is  nothing  to  question  in  the 
propriety  of  her  conduct,  so  there  is  nothing  which  needs 
defence  ;  as  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  extraordinary 
courage  which  she  brought  to  the  support  of  a  benign 
humanity,  equally  extraordinary,  so  nothing  is  necessary 
to  the  full  comprehension  of  her  virtues  beyond  the  actual 
facts  in  her  history.  As  these  virtues  were  not  of  the 
time  or  the  people  among  whom  she  was  born  and  nur 
tured,  so  they  denote  a  degree  of  excellence  which  lifts 
her  beyond  her  race  and  period,  and  links  her  name  and 
reputation  with  those  of  the  few  noble  spirits,  like  herself, 
of  whom  the  universal  heart  everywhere  keeps  a. tena 
cious  memory.  A  more  incomparable  creature  never  did 
honor  to  her  sex.  A  more  feminine  spirit  never  was  sent 
to  earth  for  the  purposes  of  humanity. 

Powhatan  did  not  long  survive  his  daughter.  He  lived 
long  enough  to  lament  her.  He  died  in  April,  1618,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Itopatin.  For  a  time  Opechancanough 
seems  to  have  submitted  to  his  sway ;  and  a  hjllow  am 
nesty  lulled  the  colonists  of  Virginia  into  full  confidence 
in  their  treacherous  neighbors.  They  were  warned  of 
this  impolicy,  but  treated  the  warning  with  contempt — the 
population  of  the  colony  increasing  annually,  and  the  ad 
venturers  scattering  themselves,  with  few  precautions, 
throughout  the  forests.  But  the  complete  government  of 


868  LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

the  Indians  was  passing  into  the  hands  of  Opechancanough. 
Itopatin  was  a  mere  puppet  at  his  will.  The  former  was  the 
leading  spirit  of  his  people  ;  bold,  subtle,  highly  popular, 
enterprising,  and  possessed  of  vast  powers  of  dissimulation. 
With  the  gradual  acquisition  of  sway  over  the  popular 
mind,  he  prepared  for  the  full  assertion  of  his  authority.  To 
supersede  Itopatin  and  to  extirpate  the  English,  were  his 
favorite  objects,  and  his  schemes  rapidly  ripened  for  their 
gratification.  The  year  1622  was  rendered  memorable  in 
Virginia  by  the  massacre  of  nearly  four  hundred  of  the 
thoughtless  and  unsuspicious  settlers.  So  well  was  the 
plan  of  the  Indians  laid,  and  so  general  was  the  combina 
tion,  that,  at  the  appointed  hour,  the  several  assailing  par 
ties,  however  remote  from  one  another,  were  each  of  them 
at  the  appointed  places  in  which  the  separate  tasks  of 
slaughter  were  to  be  done.  That  the  massacre  was  not 
complete,  was  not  the  fault  of  the  Indians,  nor  because  of 
the  vigilance  of  the  English.  Their  good  fortune  saved 
them  from  utter  extermination. 

This  terrible  eveit  throw  the  whole  country  into  con 
sternation,  ai'd  inflicted  a  most  serious  blow  upon  the  suc 
cess  of  the  colony.  The  excitement  wras  great  in  England, 
and  our  Captain  was  remembered  as  one  whose  experience 
might  be  drawn  upon  with  profit  to  find  some  remedy  for 
so  grievous  a  disaster.  He  offered,  with  a  hundred  and 
thirty  men,  to  render  the  colony  perfectly  safe  against  all 
the  power  of  the  tribes.  His  scheme  was  one  which  has 
been  largely  adopted  in  the  settlement  of  our  borders  in 
after  times.  It  was  to  employ  bands  of  Rangers,  by  whom 
the  frontiers  were  to  be  continually  traversed.  u  These  I 
would  imploy  onely  in  ranging  the  countries  and  torment 
ing  the  savages,  and  that  they  should  be  as  a  running 
army,  till  this  were  effected,  and  then  settle  themselves  in 
some  such  convenient  place,  that  should  ever  remain  a 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

garrison  of  that  strength,  ready  upon  any  occasion  against 
the  savages,  or  any  other,  for  the  defence  of  the  country." 
Smith  was  at  some  pains  to  urge  this,  and  some  other 
schemes,  for  the  restoration  and  safety  of  the  colony,  upon 
the  proprietors.  He  was  deeply  affected  by  the  fate  of 
the  settlement.  His  affections  yearned  towards  it,  and  he 
was  prepared  to  forget  and  surrender  his  old  grudges  upon 
the  altar  of  patriotism.  He  frankly  proposed  to  take 
charge  of  sucn  a  command  as  that  which  he  counselled, 
and  his  opinions  were  given  at  considerable  detail,  involv 
ing  suggestions  of  operations  by  the  water  courses  of  the 
country  as  well  as  among  the  forests.  For  these  services 
he  asked  nothing  but  what  he  could  gather  from  the 
country  itself.  But  he  addressed  ears  which  were  shut 
by  cupidity.  The  council  was  divided  in  opinion.  Some 
favored  his  project,  others  were  opposed  to  it ;  but  all 
consented  that  he  should  be  permitted  to  save  their  colony 
at  his  expense  and  risk,  while  they  were  not  unwilling  tc 
share  with  him  the  pillage  of  the  savages,  whatever  that, 
-might  be.  We  need  hardly  say  that  their  liberality  failed 
to  satisfy  one  who  had  so  largely  suffered  already  by  their 
avarice.  He  quietly  rejected  their  offer,  and  yielded  the 
hope,  for  a  moment  entertained,  of  once  more  triumphing 
in  Virginia.  "  They  supposed,"  says  he,  "  that  I  spake 
only  for  my  own  ends  !"  In  truth,  it  is  the  most  difficult 
thing  for  the  mere  worldling  to  comprehend  the  generous 
nature  which  lies  at  the  bottom,  the  vital  principle,  of  an 
enterprising  genius.  "  It  were  good,"  he  adds,  "  if  they 
themselves  were  sent  thither  to  make  trial  of  their  pro 
found  wisdomes."  "  I  would  not  give  twenty  pound  for 
all  the  pillage  that  is  to  be  got  among  the  salvages  in 
twenty  years." 

The  distresses  of  the  colony,  and  its  great  expense  ta 
the  proprietors,  finally  led  to  its  disparagement.     Estimat 


370  LIFE     OF     CAPTAIN     SMITH. 

ed  by  its  burdens  only,  it  began  to  be  undervalued 
Smith  answered  the  aspersions  upon  the  colony  "  in  9 
brief  relation,  written  to  his  majesty's  commission."  He 
describes  the  face  of  the  country,  its  resources,  its  impor 
tance  to  the  crown — the  feebleness  of  the  savages  if  pro 
perly  managed — and  the  true  causes  of  all  the  distresses 
under  which  the  colony  labored  ; — all  of  which  he  insist* 
could  have  been  avoided  had  his  advice  been  taken.  At 
the  close  of  this  relation  he  tells  us  that  he  spent  five 
years,  and  more  than  five  hundred  pounds,  "  in  procuring 
the  letters  patent  and  setting  forward,  and  neere  as  much 
more  about  New  England  ;" — that  "  these  nineteen 
yeeies  I  have,  here  and  there,  not  spared  any  thing  accord 
ing  to  my  abilitie,  nor  the  best  advice  I  could,  to  persuade 
how  those  strange  miracles  of  misery  could  have  been 
prevented,  which  lamentable  experience  plainly  taught  me 
of  necessitie  must  ensue  ;  but  few  would  beleeve  me,  till 
now  100  dearly  they  have  paid  for  it.  Wherefore,  hither 
to,  1  have  rather  left  all  than  undertake  impossibilities,  or 
any  more  such  costly  tasks  at  such  chargeable  rates  : 
for  in  neither  of  these  two  countries  have  I  one  foot  of  land, 
nor  the  very  house  I  builded,  nor  the,  ground  I  digged  with 
my  own  hands,  nor  any  content  or  satisfaction  at  all ;  and 
though  I  see  ordinarily  those  two  countries  shared  before  me 
by  them  that  neither  have  them  nor  knowes  them,  but  by  my  des 
criptions  :  yet  that  doth  not  so  much  trouble  mee  as  to  heare 
and  see  those  contentions  and  divisions  which  will  hazard  if 
not  ruinc  the  prosperitie  of  Virginia,  if  present  remedy  be  not 
found,  as  they  have  hindred  many  hundreds  who  would  have 
been  thfe  ere  now/'." 

The  unselfish  nature  of  Smith's,  here  expressed, 
CJuM  Lot  be  denied,  with  such  proofs  of  his  privations 
and  foV  present  readiness  still  to  adventure,  even  with  no 
bet'.'r  encouragement  before  him.  A  commission  had 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  371 

oeen  issued  by  King  James,  addressed  to  certain  great  per 
sons,  to  examine  into  the  condition  of  the  colony,  report 
the  transactions  of  the  company,  and  devise  a  scheme  foi 
the  remedying  of  evils  and  abuses.  This  commission  ne 
cessarily  had  resort  to  Smith.  They  propounded  to  him 
numerous  questions,  to  all  of  which  he  answered  with  his 
usual  sagacity.  He  was  better  master  of  his  subject  than 
any  other  of  his  successors,  knew  the  country  and  the  In 
dians  more  thoroughly,  and,  indeed,  the  pathways  they 
had  subsequently  opened,  had  been  only  where  he  had 
previously  made  the  blaze.  To  the  question,  why  the 
colony,  left  by  him  in  a  good  state  of  forwardness,  had  not 
better  prospered  ;  he  answered,  that  ii  Idleness  and  care 
lessness  had  brought  to  nothing  in  six  months,  what  he 
had  taken  three  years  to  do."  When  asked,  "  Why  the 
country,  if  good,  should  produce  nothing  but  tobacco  ;" 
he  answered,  "that  the  frequent  change  of  governors 
makes  every  man  anxious  to  make  the  most  of  his  time." 
As  to  the  cause  of  the  massacres  and  the  use  of  the  Eng 
lish  weapons  by  the  Indians,  he  ascribes  it  to  the  want  of 
martial  discipline  on  the  part  of  the  English,  and  their  em 
ployment  of  the  savages  as  fowlers  and  huntsmen  ;  twenty 
thousand  pounds  outfit,  he  thinks,  would  have  put  the 
colony  above  hazard,  if  rightly  employed  ;  and  a  good  sup 
ply  of  laborers  along  with  the  soldiers,  at  a  further  cost  of 
five  thousand  pounds,  well  managed,  would  remedy  the 
present  disasters.  The  defects  of  the  government  he 
ascribes  to  the  multitude  of  councillors,  the  number  and 
expense  of  unnecessary  officers,  the  delay  of  action,  and 
the  waste  of  time  in  ceremonials  and  formalities — 
u  the  orations,  disputations,  excuses,  hopes" — the  "  ex 
tortion,  covetousness  and  oppression  in  a  few"— 
and  the  waste  upon  governors,  deputies,  treasurers, 
marshals,  and  other  unnecessary  officers,  of  the  money 


372  L  I  F  E    O  K      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

which  should  be  appropriated  only  to  the  necessities  of  the 
community.  "  Thus  they  spend  Michaelmas  rent  in  Mid 
summer  moon,  and  would  gather  their  harvest  before  the-y 
have  planted  their  corne."  Smith  concludes  with  a  hint, 
of  which  James  appears  to  have  availed  himself;  namely, 
that  the  government  of  the  colony  might,  with  as  much 
propriety,  be  taken  into  his  own  hands,  as  left  in  those  by 
which  it  was  at  present  administered.  In  1624,  the  Vir 
ginia  company  was  dissolved  accordingly,  its  powers 
absorbed  in  those  of  the  crown,  and  a  special  commission 
was  issued  for  the  appointment  of  a  governor  and  twelve 
councillors,  who  were  to  have  the  whole  management  of 
the  colony. 

But,  in  all  these  changes,  our  captain  remained  without 
employment.  We  have  seen  him  hurrying  his  interview 
with  Pocahontas,  in  order  that  he  might  revisit  New  Eng 
land.  But  the  adventure  failed.  He  never  proceeded  on 
this  voyage,  but  lived  in  a  vain  struggle  with  the  capital 
ists,  fed  for  a  long  time  upon  hopes,  that  never  yielded 
any  better  food.  Twenty  ships  were  promised  him,  and  a 
promise  so  magnificent  was  well  calculated  to  dazzle  the 
imagination  of  one  with  a  faith  so  sanguine,  and  a  passion 
for  enterprise  so  deeply  entertained  and  eager.  But  with 
his  soul  ever  in  America,  his  body  remained  in  England. 
If  he  could  not  go  forth  himself,  he  encouraged  all  who 
could  do  so  ;  and,  working  to  the  last  in  the  favorite  object 
of  his  heart,  he  seems  to  have  continued  to  write  and  to 
publish  until  the  latest  moment  of  his  life.  We  have 
already  mentioned  several  of  his  writings.  In  1620,  he 
published  a  pamphlet,  entitled  "  New  England's  Trials, 
declaring  the  success  of  twenty-six  ships,  employed  thither 
within  these  six  yeares."  A  second  edition  of  this  work, 
with  the  title,  somewhat  altered,  was  published  two  years 
after.  In  1626,  he  sent  forth  his  "General  Historie  of 


LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN     SMITH.  373 

Virginia,  New  England  and  the  Summer  Isles,  with  the 
names  of  the  Adventurers,  Planters  and  Governors,  from 
their  first  beginning,  An.  1584,  to  the  present,  1626,  &c." 
To  this  work,  of  which  we  have  already  spoken,  we  have 
been  largely  indebted  in  the  progress  of  our  biography. 
In  1630,  he  published  "  The  true  Travels,  Adventures 
and  Observations  of  Captain  John  Smith  in  Europe,  Asia, 
AfTrica  and  America,  from  1593  to  1629  ;  together  with 
a  continuation  of  his  general  Historic  of  Virginia,  Summer 
Isles,  New  England,  and  their  proceedings  since  1624  to 
the  present,  1629  ;  as  also  of  the  new  Plantations  of  the 
great  river  of  the  Amazons,  the  Isles  of  St.  Christopher, 
Mevis  and  Barbadoes  in  the  West  Indies."  In  1631,  he 
put  forth  his  "  Advertisements  for  the  unexperienced 
Planters  of  New  England  or  anywhere,  or  the  Pathway  to 
Experience,  to  erect  Plantations,"  &c.  The  volume  is  a 
medley,  containing  many  clever  things,  sometimes  marked 
by  an  epigram,  at  others  by  a  passage  or  paragraph  of 
force,  almost  amounting  to  eloquence,  and  full,  in  corres 
pondence  with  his  title,  of  his  various  experiences.  He  was 
also  the  writer  of  a  sea  grammar,  which  was  highly  prais 
ed  by  nautical  men  of  his  day,  and  which  was  republish- 
ed  several  times  after  his  death.  Of  several  of  these  writings 
we  have  American  editions.  He  was  engaged  upon  a 
work,  called  "  The  History  of  the  Sea,"  when  surprised  by 
death  in  1631.  This  production  seems  not  to  have  been  fin 
ished,  and  the  fragment  has  not  survived  to  our  day.  Smith 
died  at  London  in  the  fifty -second  year  of  his  age.  He  pro 
bably  died  in  obscurity,  for  none  of  the  facts  attending  his 
demise  remain  to  us.  He  had  survived  his  uses,  at  least 
in  the  estimation  of  his  patrons  and  the  public.  That  they 
erred  in  this  judgment  will  not  be  held  a  matter  of  doubt 
by  those  who  have  witnessed  the  proofs,  here  accumulated, 
of  his  good  sense,  far-reaching  sagacity,  and  great  mental 
17 


374  LIFE     OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH. 

activity  to  the  last.  Our  summary  of  his  career  and  cha 
racter  has  already  been  made.  That  a  more  fiery  spirit, 
more  admirably  tempered  by  prudence  for  the  most  trying 
adventure,  never  lived,  will  be  admitted  by  all  to  whom 
this  history  becomes  familiar.  That  he  shared  the  fate 
of  merit,  to  be  neglected  after  the  completion  of  his  tasks, 
will  not  lessen  the  value  of  his  performance  in  the  regards 
of  posterity. 

Opechancanough,  one  of  the  great  Virginia  opponents 
of  our  Captain,  survived  him  for  several  years,  and  main 
tained  the  same  consistent  hostility  to  the  whites  that  he 
had  shown  at  the  beginning.  In  1639  he  contrived  ano 
ther  outbreak  of  the  Indians,  to  which  more  than  five 
hundred  of  the  colonists  fell  victims.  His  name  became 
more  dreaded  than  that  of  Powhatan.  His  resources 
were  greater,  and  he  was  fully  equal  to  him  in  dignity  and 
nobleness  of  character.  His  skill  in  the  government  of 
his  people  at  once  secured  their  reverence  and  affection. 
He  subjected  the  tribes  around  him  far  and  near,  and 
extended  greatly  the  domain  of  his  predecessor.  But  his 
faculties  failed  with  age.  He  had  become  so  decrepit 
that  he  was  no  longer  able  to  walk  alone,  and  was  carried 
about  in  the  arms  of  his  people.  His  flesh  was  emaciated, 
the  sinews  so  relaxed,  and  his  eyelids  so  heavy,  that 
whenever  he  desired  to  see,  they  were  lifted  by  his  attend 
ants.  In  this  condition  he  was  surprised  by  Sir  William 
Berkeley,  the  then  Governor  of  Virginia.  Thus  feeble,  and 
in  bonds,  the  proud  spirit  of  the  savage  king,  and  his  strong 
intellect,  never  failed  him.  Exposed  to  the  rude  stare  of 
the  multitude,  as  a  public  show,  he  had  his  eyelids  raised 
on  the  approach  of  Berkeley,  and  fixing  his  glance  sternly 
upon  him,  read  him  a  lesson  which,  if  the  English  gover 
nor  possessed  any  remains  of  noble  sentiment,  must  have 
made  him  wince.  "  Had  Sir  William  Berkeley  fallen  my 


LIFE      OF      CAPTAIN      SMITH.  875 

pnsoncr,"  ?aid  he,  "  I  should  not  thus  meanly  have  ex 
posed  bin  as  a  show  to  my  people." 

Berkeley  designed  to  send  him  to  England,  as  a  royal 
captive,  gracing  his  government  in  the  eyes  of  his  sove 
reign  ;  but  one  of  his  soldiers,  with  a  scarcely  greater 
degree  of  cruelty,  defeated  this  purpose  by  shooting  the 
aged  monarch  through  the  back.  Thus  perished,  the 
victim  of  a  base  assassin,  one  of  the  bravest  and  most 
sagacious  of  all  the  forest  monarchs  of  America. 


APPENDIX. 


[PAOB  58.] 

SMITH'S  PATENT  OF  NOBILITY, 

WITH  THE   CERTIFICATE   OF  THE  ENGLISH  GARTER-KING- AT- ARMS 

SIGISMVNDVS  BATHORI,  Dei  gratia  Dux  Transilvanta,  Walla.' 
c/iia,  4*  Vanddorum ;  Comes  Anchard,  Salford ;  Growenda, 
Cunctis  his  literis  significamus  qui  eas  lecturi  aut  audituri  sunt, 
concessam  licentiam  aut  facultatem  lokanni  Smith,  natione 
Anglo  Generoso,  250.  militum  Capitaneo  sub  Illustrissimi  & 
Gravissimi  Henrici  Volda,  Comitis  de  Meldri,  Salmarice  fy  Peldoics 
primario,  ex  1000.  equitibus  &  1500.  peditibus  bello  Vngarico 
conductione  in  Provincias  supra  scriptas  sub  Authoritate  nostra : 
cui  servituti  omni  laude,  perpetuaq.  memoria  dignum  praebuit 
eese  erga  nos,  ut  virum  strenuum  pugnantem  pro  aris  &  focis 
decet.  Quare  favore  nostro  militario  ipsum  ordine  condonavi- 
mus,  &  in  Sigillum  illius  tria  Turcica  Capita  designare  &  depri- 
mere  concessimus,  quae  ipso  gladio  suo  ad  V7rbem  Regalem  in 
singulari  praelio  vicit,  mactavit,  atq ;  decollavit  in  Transilvania 
Provincia :  Sed  fortuna  cum  variabilis  ancepsq  ;  sit  idem  forte 
fortuito  in  Wallachia  Provincia  Anno  Domini  1602.  die  Mensis  • 
Novembris  18.  cum  multis  aliis  etiam  Nobilibus  &  aliis  quibus- 
dam  militibus  captus  est  a  Domino  Bascha  electo  ex  Gambia 
regionis  Tartar  ia,  cujus  severitate  adductus  salutem  quantam 
potuit  quaesivit,  tantumque  effecit,  Peo  omnipotente  adjuvante, 
ut  deliberavit  se,  &  ad  suos  Commilitones  revertit ;  ex  quibus 
ipsum  iiberavimus,  &  haec  nobis  testimonia  habuit  ut  majori 
licentia  frueretur  qua  dignus  esset,  jam  tendet  in  patriam  suant 
dulcissimam  :  Rogamus  ergo  omnes  nostros  charissimos,  conlini- 
timos,  Duces,  Principes,  Comites,  Barones,  Gubernatores  Vrbium 


S78  APPENDIX. 

&  Navium  in  eadem  Regione  &  caeterarum  Provinciarum  in 
quibus  ille  residere  conatus  fuerit  ut  idem  permittatur  Capitaneus 
libere  sine  obstaculo  omni  versari.  Haec  facientes  pergratum 
nobis  feceritis.  Signatum  Lesprizia  in  Misnia  die  Mensis  De- 
cembris  9.  Anno  Domini  1603. 

SIGISMVNDVS  BATHORI 
Cum  Privilegio  propria  Majectatis. 

UNIVERSIS,  &  singulis,  cujuscunq.  loci,  status,  gradus,  ordinis 
ac  conditionis  ad  quos  hoc  praesens  scriplum  pervenerit,  Guiliel- 
mus  Segar  Eques  auratus  alias  dictus  Garterus  Principalis  Ilex 
Armorum  Anglicorum,  Salutem.  Sciatis,  quod  Ego  pradictus 
Garterus,  notum,  testatumque  facio,  quod  Patentem  suprascrip- 
tum,  cum  manu  propria  praedicti  Ducis  Transiluanice  subsigna- 
tum,  et  Sigillo  suo  affixum,  Vidi :  &  Copiam  veram  ejusdem  (in 
perpetuam  memoriam)  transcripsi,  &  recordavi  in  Arhivis,  & 
Registris  OfEcii  Armorum.  Datum  Londini  19.  die  August!, 
Anno  Domini  1625.  Annoque  Regni  Domini  nostri  CAROLI  Dei 
gratia  Magnae  Britannia,  Francia,  fy  ttibcrnia  Regis,  Fidei 
Defensoris,  &c.  Primo 

GVILIELMVS  SEGAR,  Garterus. 

SIGISMVNDVS  BATHOR,  by  the  Grace  of  God,  Duke  of  Transil- 
vania,  Wallachia,  and  Moldavia,  Earle  of  Anchard,  Salford  and 
Growenda  ;  to  whom  this  Writing  may  come  or  appeare.  Know 
that  We  have  given  leave  and  license  to  lohn  Smith  an  English 
Gentleman,  Captaine  of  250  Souldiers,  under  the  most  Generous 
and  Honourable  Henry  Volda,  Earle  of  Meldntch,  Salmaria,  and 
Pddoia,  Colonel!  of  a  thousand  horse,  and  fit'teene  hundred  foot, 
in  the  warres  of  Hungary,  and  in  the  Provinces  aforesaid  under 
our  authority ;  whose  service  doth  deseive  all  praise  and  per- 
petuall  msmory  towards  us,  as  a  man  that  did  for  God  and  his 
Country  overcome  his  enemies  :  Wherefore  out  of  Our  love  and 
favour,  according  to  the  law  of  Armes,  We  have  ordained  and 
given  him  in  his  shield  of  Armes,  the  figure  and  description  of 
three  Turks  heads,  which  with  his  sword  before  the  towne  of 
Rcgall,  in  single  combat  he  did  overcome,  kill,  and  cut  off,  'a 


A  P  P  K  N   D  I   X  .          •  379 

the  Province  of  Tmnsilvania.  But  fortune,  as  she  is  very  varia 
ble,  so  it  chanced  and  happened  to  him  in  the  province  of  Wai- 
lachia,  in  the  yeare  of  our  Lord,  1602,  the  18th  day  of  November, 
with  many  others,  as  well  Noble  men,  as  also  divers  other 
Souldiers,  were  taken  prisoners  by  the  Lord  Bashaw  of  Gambia* 
a  Country  of  Tartaria  ;  whose  cruelty  brought  him  such  good 
fortune,  by  the  helpe  and  power  of  Almighty  God,  that  hee 
delivered  himselfe,  and  returned  againe  to  his  company  and 
fellow  souldiers,  of  whom  We  doe  discharge  him,  and  this  hee 
hath  in  witness  thereof,  being  much  more  worthy  of  a  better 
reward  ;  and  now  intends  to  returne  to  his  owne  sweet  Country. 
We  desire  therefore  all  our  loving  and  kinde  kinsmen,  Dukes, 
Princes,  Earles,  Barons,  Governours  of  Townes,  Cities,  or 
Ships,  in  this  Kingdome,  or  any  other  Provinces  he  shall  come 
in,  that  you  freely  let  passe  this  the  aforesaid  Captaine,  without 
any  hinderance  or  molestation,  and  this  doing,  with  all  kind 
nesse  we  are  always  ready  to  doe  the  like  for  you.  Sealed  at 
Lipswick  in  Misenland,  the  ninth  of  December,  in  the  yeare  «f 
our  Lord,  1603. 

SIGISMVNDVS  BATHOR 
With  the  proper  privilege  of  his  Majestic. 

To  all  and  singular,  in  what  place,  state,  degree,  order,  or 
condition  whatsoever,  to  whom  this  present  writing  shall  come  : 
I  William  Segar,  Knight,  otherwise  Garter,  and  principall  King 
of  Armes  of  England,  wish  health.  Know  that  I  the  aforesaid 
Garter,  do  witnesse  and  approve,  that  this  aforesaid  Patent,  I 
nave  seene,  signed,  and  sealed,  under  the  proper  hand  and  Seale 
Manual  of  the  said  Duke  of  Transilvania,  and  a  true  coppy  of 
the  same,  as  a  thing  for  perpetual  memory,  I  have  Hub^cribed 
and  recorded  in  the  Register  and  office  of  the  Heralds  of  Armes. 
Dated  at  London  the  nineteenth  day  of  August,  in  the  yeare  of 
our  Lord,  1625,  and  in  the.  first  yeare  of  our  Soueraigne  Lord 
Charles  by  the  grace  of  God,  King  of  great  Britaine,  France,  anJ 
Ireland :  Defender  of  the  faith,  &c. 

WILLIAM  SEGAR. 


HOME  USE 

CIRCULATION  DEPARTMENT 
MAIN  LIBRARY 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 
1 -month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling  642-3405. 
6-month  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing  books 

to  Circulation  Desk. 
Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made  4  days  prior 

to  due  date. 

ALL  BOOKS  ARE  SUBJECT  TO  RECALL  7  DAYS 
AFTER  DATE  CHECKED  OUT. 

OCT   5'14 


LD21 — A-407n-5,'74 
(R8191L) 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


M31 


*   ~   «g*  - 

M 


M  TfTATn f  I  f  f  T1 


O 


® 


4 


nmmnnnnnmnrnHH 


